Rival Shopkeepers
by KhajiitJester
Summary: Just another day at the Bazaar for Rupin in his shop, but what happens when a new shopkeeper comes in and makes more sales than him? Will Rupin hold out his white flag in defeat or will he play dirty to get back his customers? Who is this man and why is his smile haunting Rupin? (May contain darkhumor, violence and embarrassing moments) Updates will be made for your enjoyment! :3
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone and welcome to my story! I am happy that you all came to read my first attempt at Shopkeepers going after each other to see who has the most rupees, if there are any questions that you wish to ask than please feel free to do so and ask away! I don't mind answering what you have to say and I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own either Skysword swords nor any thing except the name I will be using for the salesman**

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**The New Guy**

It was just another day at the Bazaar. Everyone started opening up their stalls for business as usual, getting ready to greet their customers with smiling faces and positive manners. Except for the girl at the Item Check stall; she showed no expression at all. Some of the people seemed to be putting on fake smiles and others seemed to be smiling for real.

Rupin had just finished selling some of his things to a customer. He smiled and waved the person good-bye. Finally, I never thought he would leave, he thought to himself as he placed his elbow on the counter and leaned his head against his hand. He sighed calmly, placing the few green rupees he got into his apron pocket. He glanced around the Bazaar to see if any more customers were coming, but it was empty for the morning.

Rupin thought about going to the back to count his rupees since no customers were coming. He glanced down at his apron and fixed his little green hat. Still, no customers came and he hated when only a few stopped by his shop. He felt bored, but that wasn't going to bother him today.

"Such a fine day, isn't it?"

A male voice spoke, making Rupin jump. He looked at the man standing before him, a man with a wide smile and a big brown leather bag on his back. He had orange hair and pale skin, and he wore strange, bluish purple robes with golden cuffs and collar edgings. Rupin gave the man a welcoming smile and walked from behind the counter to greet him properly. He glanced down for a moment to see the man wasn't wearing shoes.

"Welcome to my Gear Shop! I am Rupin. How may I assist you today, kind sir?" Rupin said with a smile.

"Do not worry yourself over my needs, valuable shopkeeper," the man replied with a slight chuckle, moving in to take a look around.

_Oh, hurry up and buy something already. I have real customers to wait for_ Rupin thought to himself while keeping his smile up. He nodded his head once and went back behind his counter, when suddenly he felt like the man was glaring at him from behind. He turned to face the new customer again and catch his eyes, but he was only met with a smile. The man shrugged his shoulders and walked to the counter, chuckling again.

"I see many wonderful things, but sadly, you lack the things I am collecting." The man frowned at Rupin in disappointment and shook his head slowly, fixing his bag to have a more comfortable hold on it.

"Maybe I could put down an order for you so the next time you come in, I will have them ready for you," Rupin replied with a kind smile, not wanting to disappoint his cheerful new customer and also not wanting to waste his time listening to him ramble on.

"No need, I will just ask that man over there where he got that fantastic mask!" the cheerful man said as he left the Gear Shop and walked over to the Scrap Shop. Rupin relieved himself of his smile as he watched the stranger walk away. He raised his eyebrow in curiosity when he saw the stranger talking with Gondo. Rupin wondered why that man seemed so cheerful and why he carried a large bag with him.

"Hey Rupin, who is that man?" Luv whispered.

Rupin looked over to see Luv speaking to him and mustered up another smile. "Oh he is just another customer, Luv. He is new around here by the looks of it," he said with a chuckle as she looked over to see the strange man walking up to her stall. She gasped in surprise and clapped right at the man's face.

Rupin face palmed when he saw the startled look on the customer's face. That idiot almost hit him in the face! he thought. He glanced over to see the man smiling slightly.

"Excuse me, sir," the man said with a chuckle, holding up his hand to wave at Luv. Rupin almost burst out laughing at the sight of her face. He quickly turned around to hide his grin as he let out small snickers, covering his mouth with his hand.

"I am not a man!" Luv said, crossing her arms. "I am a lady and I do not take it lightly when slackers refer to me as a sir!" She raised her voice at him, not liking his joking smile. Her baby woke up from its nap and started to cry loudly again. The man's smile faded as he glanced at the crying child.

Rupin saw the stranger walk over to Bertie and look at the crying child. "Why must you frown?" the man said calmly before removing his bag and turning to place it gently on the floor. He opened it up and reached inside, pulling out a strange item.

He slipped it on and spun around quickly to surprise the baby with a Zora mask. The baby stopped crying when he began to dance, waltzing around in a little circle with no one but himself. It started to laugh when the man pretended to trip over his bag, falling over and laying there for an entire minute. Luv and Bertie seemed happy to see their baby laughing.

Rupin raised his eyebrow at the sight and wondered if the man was an entertainer for children. The man got up from the floor and dusted himself off, pushing up his mask to smile.

"I am honored to make you smile, little one." He bowed to the baby like royalty before standing straight again. "But sadly, I must go now. I hope you have a happy day." He took off the mask and put it away in his bag, closing it up again. He lifted the giant pack onto his back and turned to leave. The baby tried to reach out for the funny man to come back. When he left the Bazaar, the baby began to cry again and wave its little arms around.

Rupin was stunned by the performance, but that soon passed. He shook his head and turned away. What a weirdo, what could he be carrying in the big bag of his? He questioned as he glanced up to see Peatrice daydreaming with a small smile on her face. Rupin raised both eyebrows to this surprise. She was not one for smiling and usually had a gloomy look on her face. He put up a sign before heading into his backroom.

On break… Be back in 30mins.

The sounds of the couple's baby and the background music seemed to go mute to Rupin when he walked into his storage room. He had a strange feeling that he might have seen the smiling, red-haired guy before, but he could not quite place when or where at that moment. He sat at his small desk and shook it off as nothing, beginning to pull out his rupees and count how much he had made for the day.

Meanwhile, Gondo walked over to talk with Luv since he had no customers at the moment. He smiled at her when she looked over and waved.

"I see that guy visited you too," Gondo said, stopping by her stall and leaning over to place his elbow on the counter.

"Can you believe it! He called me a SIR!" Luv almost shouted, furious with that stranger.

"Calm down Luv, he's new. And besides, you should have heard what he said to me just a little while ago," Gondo said, making it sound like gossip to catch her ear. He knew she was a chatty woman when it came to gossip.

"Oh! What did he say?" Luv looked at him with interest, a smile on her lips now.

"He wanted to buy my work mask off me," Gondo said, rubbing the back of his head with a chuckle.

"Really? How come you didn't want to sell your mask to him?" Luv asked, a little more interested now.

"Because this is my only mask and it helps me see what I'm doing when I'm working." Gondo looked over his shoulder to see Peatrice daydreaming. "Hey, what is she thinking about?"

"Oh, that guy walked over to her place before coming to my shop. I saw him deposit some rupees and talk to her," Luv said in a low voice.

"Really? What do you think he said to make her daydream like that?" Gondo asked as he looked over to see Luv grin.

"I bet he said something sweet to her since it seems he likes to see people smile, maybe he gave Peatrice something."

For a while, they were silent. Luv suddenly gasped in excitement when an idea popped in her head.

"You should go over there and ask her, Gondo." She patted the man on the shoulder as he turned his head toward her, his mouth agape.

Meanwhile, Rupin walked out from his storage room and headed towards his counter to remove his sign, when he saw Gondo walking over to the Item Check. He reached the counter and smiled at Peatrice, who had just snapped out of her daydream.

"Oh, hello Gondo…" Peatrice said with a gloomy look on her face. She pulled out a blank parchment and her quill. "Will you be making another deposit today?" she asked with a bored sigh.

"Nope, I came to ask about that little smile you had going on," Gondo teased her playfully, pointing at her flustered cheeks.

"It's nothing." Peatrice tried to hide her face behind the parchment, not wanting to talk about it.

"Did that guy say something to make you blush?" Gondo teased again, leaning against the counter with his elbow to support him. He knew how to tease her, but didn't want to make her too shy to tell him anything, so he kept it to a minimum.

"Well…" Peatrice began. She lowered the parchment to reveal blushing cheeks and a smile. Rupin wasn't much for gossip, but he had the urge to eavesdrop on their conversation. He leaned a little closer to hear what that guy said.

"Don't worry Peatrice, no one is listening to us." Gondo whispered.

She giggled. "Gondo! I swear, you make me laugh sometimes." Peatrice smiled and playfully poked his goggles. They were close friends, so there was no harm in teasing each other a little. She leaned a little close to whisper. "He was a real sweet talker. He deposited some rupees. Then he placed a kiss upon my hand and said…"

She cupped her hands close to Gondo's ear and whispered something to him. Rupin had a hard time trying to hear her. He leaned a little closer when Gondo burst out laughing.

"You have to be joking!" Gondo held his sides, laughing while Peatrice crossed her arms and looked at him mad.

"What's the handsome man's name!" Luv called out from her shop , making Peatrice blush. She ran to the back of her stall to hide from them, embarrassed.

"His name is the Happy Mask Salesman!" Gondo said, chuckling. He walked back to Luv to gossip about the new guy Peatrice blushed over.

Note: See you all in chapter 2. Please leave a comment, thanks. :3

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Note: see you all in chapter 2, please leave a comment thanks:3


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry to inform you that I will not be naming the HMS, why? because I just feel awkward in doing so, well not bad for a person that never played Skyward Sword:3 am I right? well I hope you all like this chapter and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment:3**

**See you all in chapter 3**

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**Masks and Smiles**

After a long day, Rupin returned home with his small pouch of rupees and his head held high, though he was dragging his feet. No customers came after that strange man visited his stall and he wondered what was going on. There were no events going on that he could think of.

On his way up the path on that lovely night, he came across the same smiling man, who was walking the opposite way. Rupin slipped his hands into his pockets and looked the other way, pretending he did not see the guy as he walked pass him with his large bag. He didn't have time for pleasant conversations, so he just continued to walk. The man seemed strange to Rupin and he wondered how the guy made it to Skyloft.

"Do you intend to keep ignoring me?" The Salesman asked. Rupin flinched a little and turned his head slowly to see the man smiling at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming," Rupin replied, giving the man a blunt expression since he was in no mood to smile.

"I doubt that. I know you saw me coming," The Salesman said, opening his eyes. His smile faded just a bit.

"Look, I am not in the mood to either talk nor smile. I just want to go home and sleep!" Rupin raised his voice a little, glaring at the man.

"Oh, I see now." The Salesman chuckled. He walked up to Rupin and glared back, his smile completely gone and his eyes more open now. He grabbed a handful of Rupin's shirt and pulled him in close.

"Hey!" Rupin grabbed ahold of the man's arm with both hands and tried to pry him off. The Salesman grinned at his struggle and shoved him to the ground.

"You are going to lose to me. And when you do," the Salesman walked over and pushed Rupin down with his foot, "I will gladly take that mask of yours." He reached out with one hand and gently pressed his finger to Rupin's forehead, slowly sliding it down the side of his head to his chin.

Rupin turned his head away and glared once more at the man, grabbed ahold of his bare foot and throwing him off-balance. The Salesman took a step back and smirked to see some energy being used. Rupin got up from the ground quickly and dusted himself off before closing his eyes tight. He used all his strength to swing a punch at the guy. The man grunted in pain and fell over as Rupin's fist connected with his face.

The Salesman lay on the ground with his hands covering his face. Rupin started to panic when he thought the guy was badly hurt, but he was not going to stick around. He quickly turned and ran home.

The Salesman slowly sat up with a black eye and a wicked smile, watching Rupin run off. He knew what was going to happen and he knew what his next move would be. "See you around, Rupin…" He chuckled softly and smiled happily once more, getting up from the ground and dusting himself off before picking up his bag.

Meanwhile, Rupin made it home after that horrible moment with the Salesman. The fact that he punched the guy wasn't making things better for him. A sick feeling in his stomach, he walked over to his bed and plopped down on it face first with a groan of irritation.

He lazily took off his shoes and let them fall to the floor. He turned to his left side and stared at the wall a moment before turning his hand to look at it. Small bruises were forming on his knuckles, but that seemed to be the least of his problems. He sighed heavily and laid his head on his pillow, closing his eyes to sleep things off.

-:-:-:-:-

_"Here Rupee, I got you this!"_

_Little Rupin turned his head to see another little boy running into his yard. The boy wore a loftwing mask and bluish purple clothing. He ran up and held out a small, handmade wooden statue of a Loftwing._

_"Wow!" Rupin got up from playing with his toy knight. He gazed at the statue with excitement and smiled at his friend._

_"I made it for my dear friend, RUPEE!" the boy cheered, giving the wooden bird to Rupin and clapping his hands in excitement to see his friend accept it._

_Rupin smiled happily and gave his friend a hug before taking his hand and leading the boy to his house to show his mom. The boy held onto his mask while being dragged along by his friend. They both laughed as they entered the house and went up to Rupin's mom to show her the wooden Loftwing._

_There was a flash of white light, and then the boy was hanging off the side of a cliff. Rupin held onto his friend's hand tightly as he struggled to pull him up. The boy's loftwing mask cracked across the middle, half of it plummeting into the clouds below._

_"Don't let me go, Rupee!" the boy cried out. He struggled to grab ahold of the cliff side with his free hand. He started to cry in fear when he could not grab the edge, his legs kicking to get a grip. He felt his hand slipping._

_"Hold on!" Rupin yelled, using whatever strength he had to pull his friend up. He felt his friend's hand slipping more and he quickly looked around to try and find someone to help him. But no one was around and it was up to him to pull his friend up._

_"Rupee…I can't…hold on much longer!" the boy yelled in irritation, his hand getting sweaty and slipping a little more each time he looked up at Rupin._

_"Don't give up, I still got you!" Rupin looked down at his friend with worried eyes, seeing a glimpse of the boy's teary, light brown eye._

_"Please…Rupee… Don't… don't let go…" the boy whispered with a sob._

_The two boys looked at each other one last time before Rupin's fingers slipped. His friend fell, screaming and reaching out for him._

_"RUPIN, NOOOO!" The boy screamed out in fear, his broken mask slipping off his head as he passed through the clouds._

_Little Rupin fell onto his stomach and watched in horror as his only friend disappeared past the cloud barrier, his screams fading into silence._

Rupin opened his eyes wide in shock, his hands tightly gripping the edges of his bed. Panting fast, he gazed up at the ceiling in horror, finding his forehead sweaty. He slowly turned his head to look at the clock before looking back at the ceiling.

"Only five thirty in the morning…" he muttered to himself. He slowly sat up in his bed and looked over to see his mother still sleeping. He sighed calmly and closed his eyes for a moment, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

He lifted one knee up and leaned his chin against it, thinking about the dream he had. He couldn't get the masked boy off his mind, but he couldn't recall what his name was. He sat there for a while in deep thought, then he opened his eyes to glance at the clock again. It showed six o'clock.

"Well…better get ready for the day, again," Rupin said to himself. He removed his blanket and got out of bed to go have a quick wash (no peeking!). After he was done and dressed for another day, he made himself oatmeal for breakfast and ate.

After he was done eating, he got up from his chair and washed his bowl. He glanced over his shoulder to see his mother still sleeping. He rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing.

Once he was done washing, he dried his hands with a towel, grabbed his hat, and headed for the door. He sighed and opened the door wide to inhale the fresh air, only to see the Happy Mask Salesman standing at the end of the path.

The Salesman smiled and waited for him patiently, his hands holding onto the straps of his large bag. Rupin spotted the black eye he gave the man and groaned in annoyance now that he had to live with that guilt. He stepped out of his house and closed the door behind him, starting down the path.

Rupin passed the other man without a glance in his direction. The Salesman tagged along and followed him silently. The two walked down the path without speaking a word to each other. The Salesman greeted some people along the way, but Rupin remained quiet.

The Salesman looked over at the quiet man and chuckled, "I wonder if Peatrice is working today?" He smiled happily at the thought of visiting her. Rupin glanced over with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you have other people to follow?" he asked coldly, "I have work and I don't want you scaring off my customers with that freaky smile of yours." He started walking faster to leave the man behind.

"I beg your pardon! I do not have a freaky smile." The Mask Salesman walked faster to catch up with Rupin. "And besides, Gondo gave me permission to sell my own wares at the Bazaar!" He reached out his hand and grabbed Rupin's shoulder, turning him fast to face him properly. "So I hope that you will show me that smile when we get there? Or I will tell them who gave me this!"

The Mask Salesman pointed at his black eye, smirking when he saw Rupin's eyes widen. He let go of the man's shoulder and continued walking to the Bazaar.

That sneaky man Rupin thought as he glared at the Mask Salesman from behind, his fingers tightening into fists in anger. He hated being blackmailed by the Happy Mask Salesman.

While Rupin walked into the Bazaar and headed to his stall, the Mask Salesman greeted everyone with a happy smile.

"Oh my, what happened to your eye?" Peatrice asked with concern when she saw the Happy Mask Salesman's face.

The Salesman walked over to her and chuckled, "oh oh! Do not worry yourself my dear, I just ran into a very grumpy person yesterday."

He took her hand gently and kissed it, making her blush.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you all enjoy this story, I will continue to write and I hope too see any reviews. have a good day and see you all in chapter 4**

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Unwanted

That morning, the Happy Mask Salesman prepared his own little shop right next to Rupin's Gear Shop and it did not amuse the man one bit. Rupin had a hard time smiling to each customer without having the Salesman snatch them away with his words, flattering the women about their beauty and complementing the men.

The Happy Mask Salesman took a seat and polished each mask until they shined. Rupin narrowed his eyes at him. Just then, he turned to see a young knight walking into the Bazaar. He lit up his face with a smile.

"Welcome to…" Rupin paused in the middle of his sentence when the young man walked passed him and headed over to the Happy Mask Shop.

"Welcome to my Happy Mask Shop!" the Salesman smiled happily at the knight who came by to look at all the different masks.

"Wow that's a lot of masks…" The knight gazed upon each mask in awe. "Where did you get them?" He looked up at the Happy Mask Salesman, curious to know and wanting to buy.

"I collect them on my travels; I found or traded each mask that you see in my collections before you," the Happy Mask Salesman said, watching the young knight look at them.

_Or you stole them from someone_ Rupin thought, secretly watching as HIS customer bought a deku mask from the Salesman. He saw a purple rupee pass from the knight's hand to the Happy Salesman's. His eyes widened slightly.

"Thank you, and please tell your friends about my Happy Mask Shop!" Salesman said with a joyful smile, waving good-bye. The knight smiled and nodded before leaving the Bazaar.

Rupin crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, his fake smile fading when he turned to face the Salesman. The Salesman looked up at him and continued to smile, picking up a fox-looking mask. He put it on and stood up slowly as people walked in with their children.

"Come one! Come all!" The Happy Mask Salesman chanted, holding up his hands. "Feast your eyes on my Happy Mask Shop!" He spun once and bowed to his arriving customers. The children began begging their parents to buy them a mask.

Rupin and the other shopkeepers eyeballed the growing line forming at the Happy Mask Shop, seeing all their rupees going to the NEW guy. Gondo smiled and got up to go see what was happening; he didn't mind the Salesman selling his masks, but the others seemed displeased that people were only here for MASKS!

The children ran to show off their masks of all different kinds, the parents seeming a bit dazed by all the rare masks they saw. The Happy Mask Salesman giggled with delight to hear them ask questions about his rare collections. Though Rupin was not much for gossip, he leaned a little closer to hear about where the man found these rare masks.

"I am a traveler and I collected a mask from each place I visited. As for the rare masks…" he paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder to see Rupin listening, "that, I must keep secret or they would not be called rare, now would they?" He chuckled at his customers' disappointed faces. When they started leaving, he bowed once more and waved them good-bye.

"You must be joking!"

The Salesman looked over to see Luv crossing her arms, an annoyed look on her face. "If they are that important to keep a secret, then why sell them?" She had a loud voice for a woman.

"Why ask such a silly question? You are a shopkeeper." He took off the fox mask and placed it among the rare masks. "You should know as well as I do that keeping secrets makes the buyers want your wares even more. Well, I am sure you knew that part. I just don't see why you asked at all."

The bug-eyed woman looking at him like he was some weird thing. He chuckled and turned his head to see Rupin smiling at his first customer.

"I see you are smiling again, dear Rupin," The Salesman said in a cheery voice, walking over to lean against his counter. He tilted his head a bit and grinned when Rupin ignored him and continued his work, grabbing a small satchel of deku seeds and handing it to his waiting customer.

"Do not ignore me, I know you are mad because I made more sales then you," The salesman said, watching as the customer paid for his seeds and walked away. Rupin fiddled with his thumbs. He started to hear a tapping sound. He looked around to see where the tapping noise was coming from and slowly turned to see the Salesman.

The man was tapping his fingers against Rupin's counter, a smug look on his face. The shopkeeper tried to ignore the tapping noise, but each time he heard it repeat over and over, he felt like it was going to drive him mad. Soon, Rupin could no longer keep his fake smile up. The edges of his lips twitched along with his left eye, a small sweat drop running down the side of his forehead.

"Hmph! I guess you're too busy to even talk to me. Very well. You can owe me lunch then. I will be most happy to chat with you later." The mask salesman chuckled softly and headed back to his masks. Just then, he paused to see somebody running off with one of his masks.

Luv and Bertie had seen the thief make off with one of the Salesman's masks and were watching to see what he would do. The Salesman remained calm, his smile turning to a grin.

"How…very sad. One of my rare masks has been stolen by…" he paused to inhale and exhale deeply as he shook his head slowly, "a no good dirty thief. How very sad indeed." He walked over to his bag and started to pack up his masks.

The others were in shock to see the Happy Mask Salesman taking this situation very lightly, like it was nothing to fuss about. They turned away and pretended they saw nothing. Rupin felt a slight chill in the air when he caught a glimpse of the salesman's unhappy expression. The man pulled on his big bag and began walking towards the same door the thief went out.

"I still expect to see you at lunch, Rupin," the salesman said, looking over his shoulder. Rupin nodded to him nervously. The Happy Mask Salesman smiled and left the Bazaar.

At lunch, Rupin went to the Lumpy Pumpkin and ordered a bowl of pumpkin stew for himself and the Salesman. He didn't know what drink the man wanted, so he just ordered two cups of coffee. He walked over to an empty table along the edge of the room and sat near the wall. Rupin placed one elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand while he waited. He started to think about his dream again and wondered if it was just a dream or a memory he had long forgotten.

Why does he seem so familiar to me? And why does he act like he knows me? Rupin questioned himself. He lifted his head when the stew and coffee came. He thanked the waitress before she left and looked around to see if the Mask Salesman was coming yet, but there was still no sign of him. Rupin went on and just started to eat.

Forty-five minutes passed with still no sign of the salesman. Rupin started to think if the man just did this to him for giving him a black eye. He sighed and ordered another cup of coffee while he continued to wait. The extra stew and coffee had become cold now.

It was almost time for him to go back to work, so he gave up on waiting. Grumbling, he got up from his chair and pulled out his rupee pouch to pay for the untouched meal and his own. Suddenly, he heard the Salesman's voice and looked up to see him walking towards him with dirtied clothes and fresh bruises.

"What happened to you?" Rupin asked in surprise, not wanting to sound too worried as he put away his pouch and walked over to help the man out. The Salesman only chuckled and sat down at the table, placing his bag beside him. Rupin sat across from him.

"Sorry for making you wait so long, I had a run-in with the thief and…" the Salesman paused for a moment as Rupin ordered fresh stew and coffee.

"Let me guess, you had a fight with him?" Rupin said, crossing his arms as the salesman held up his stolen mask and gave a cheeky smile. He looked pretty banged up.

Rupin was about to yell at the guy, but he found himself laughing. The Salesman recounted the fight and how he got each bruise. The waitress brought more fresh stew and coffee for the two and took the cold food back to the kitchen. They laughed and shared a bit of gossip about the annoying customers they dealt with.

"I see that you enjoy traveling a lot?" Rupin said, pointing at the man's bag and grinning a bit before taking a sip of his coffee.

"I do indeed, this place was rather hard to find, but I found my way up," The Salesman replied, looking at his bag and placing a gentle hand on it.

"That reminds me, where did you sleep last night?" Rupin asked curiously, placing his cup on the table and wiping a small coffee droplet off his chin with his sleeve.

"Oh, I found an old shed behind a house." The salesman placed both elbows on the table and leaned his head between his hands. "I slept in there for the night to avoid people touching my collection and to avoid those nasty little fuzzballs. I found it cozy, so I wasn't picky." He chuckled, watching Rupin almost choke on his own coffee and spill some of it on his shirt.

"You were at my home!?" Rupin blurted out, looking at him in shock as he grabbed a napkin to wipe himself off.

"Indeed, but it was hard to find, what with all those tombstones ruining your yard. I thought it would be nice to catch a Poe while roaming around there in the moonlight." The Salesman glanced over his shoulder just a bit and saw a few people looking at them. He looked back at Rupin and placed a hand on his.

Rupin paused at the feeling of a warm hand touching his; he looked over and raised an eyebrow when the Salesman got up to walk to the man's side.

The salesman got on one knee and held Rupin's hand in both hands, giving a slight frown. Rupin had no idea what was going through the guy's head. He looked over to see people looking at them with wide eyes and his face turned an embarrassed shade of red.

"Don't make me sleep outside again. It gets cold and I might catch a fever," the salesman begged, giving Rupin's hand a slight kiss like he was royalty.

"I am not going let you in my house! Let alone sleep in my bed!" Rupin protested, moving his hand away and placing it on the salesman's forehead. He pushing him over as he got up and walked out.

The Salesman got onto his knees and placed his hands together, grinning. "Please don't leave me, Rupin! I beg of you, please don't go!" He made himself sound so dramatic that people looked over at Rupin with shocked expressions.

"I SAID NO!" Rupin yelled, walking out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

I would like to say, I am happy to continue writing this story. I hope you all enjoy it too and see you all in chapter 5:3

**What Memories Hold**

_I remember the first time I saw you…I was seven years old and you were nine…_

_I was hiding behind a tree and peeking out, watching you play with other children…_

_I remember…you spotting me from behind the tree. You came over with a smile that I had never seen before. You asked if I wanted to play with you and your friends…_

_I was scared to say anything, but you just laughed happily. You held out your hand to me and said, "I'll play with you." I was so foreign to everyone else that no one wanted to play with me… but you treated me like I was one of your people, so I just gave an awkward smile and held out my hand. You gently pulled me out from behind the tree and that was it. That was the beginning of our friendship._

_I remember the first time you brought me home with you, your mom asked if it was okay that I had a sleep over. I said nothing. All I did was look at her like an orphaned puppy with no home…_

_I remember those frightful eyes she gave me. I remember her asking, "did they abandon you?" with concern in her voice as she embraced me. It felt so foreign to me that it felt… nice, like the time I watched two people embrace each other with smiles. I made a home in a box behind the Lumpy Pumpkin that no one noticed or saw. That was my home, a box behind a restaurant that no one took notice of. I felt so unwanted and unloved… until your mother hugged me._

_She made me feel something new and so I hugged her back. She made all the pain go away and when I told her that I had no parents. I had no idea where they went or when they would return. Your mom gave me a kiss on the forehead and said in a gentle voice, "don't worry, I will look after you." She smiled at me and gave me another hug before she picked me up and took me in. She treated me like a second son and you treated me like a little brother._

_I remember the times we had together. I even remember my first fight when those bullies used to pick on you. I said words that hurt their feelings and even kicked one of them between the legs. They were as angry as your mother when she saw us with bruises and bloody noses. She found out we got in a fight and I had more bruises than you did. We had to stand in separate corners and face the wall for an hour._

_I looked up to you as my big brother and did everything to keep you out of trouble. I know you knew that and you didn't have to put it into words. You ended up buying that loftwing mask for me… I wore it with pride and joy until that day…_

_I remember we were chasing a remlit with sticks, pretending we were knights fighting a dragon that was going to destroy our world. I remember tripping and falling over, hitting my mask against a rock. I could see through the crack and I worried that you would get mad. You did. I got to my feet to explain but you yelled at me and pushed me hard against my chest. I remember backing up close to the edge. You were so angry because that mask cost fifty rupees. I remember that because I heard you repeat it four times. I remember begging you to stop pushing but you didn't listen. I took one more step back and that was it…_

_I faintly remember you calling out to me when I fell off that edge. I remember looking into your eyes when you refused to shed a tear. I remember passing those damned clouds and thinking those forsaken knights would save me. Well, guess what? They never did! I wasted my time thinking you would find a way to come for me, but you NEVER came."_

_And now here you are, dumbfounded and with no memory of us. My dear Rupin, you greedy rupee bastard. I will make you feel the same pain I felt when you left me to fall off that ledge. I will make you see how much pain you caused me. I will make you feel pain through the loss of your precious customers and rub it in your face! Yes, I will do that and after I am done, I will finally have that mask you wear so proudly. I will have it and never let it go!_

…

Those words echoed in the Happy Mask Salesman's mind while he sat in his little shop, smiling at the customers walking by. He looked to his left to see Rupin smiling as people stopped by his shop.

Rupin looked over to see the Salesman smiling happily at him. He narrowed his eyes a bit and turned his head away, ignoring him. The salesman didn't care for Rupin's rude expression. He pulled out four new masks while humming quietly, laying one new mask down right next to the zora mask. The first one looked like a purple loftwing, the second seemed to take the shape of a remlit, and the third looked plain odd. Rupin peeked over to see what the new masks looked like. He wondered when the salesman had the time to make those.

"Do you wish to buy one?"

Rupin noticed the Salesman smiling at him. He narrowed his eyes and crinkled his nose at the thought of even spending a rupee on a mask he didn't need. The Salesman turned his head away when a customer came to his shop and looked over the new masks. The Happy Mask Salesman put on his best smile and spoke to the customer while secretly rubbing it in Rupin's face.

"Nice, this is my fortieth sale today!" The Salesman said cheerily. "Not bad, eh? Rupin?" He turned his head and held up his half-filled rupee pouch. Loath me while I enjoy your precious rupees.

_Shove it up your…_ "Not bad at all. It must be nice to have a real sale in two days straight," Rupin chuckled. The Happy Mask Salesman seemed happy with himself, but then again the man always seemed happy about everything.

The rest of the day went by in awkward silence for Rupin and the Salesman. Gondo started to wonder if his buddy Rupin had been beating up The Happy Mask Salesman. The poor guy had started showing up with fresh bruises right behind Rupin. Gondo felt concern for the two, but he worried whether the Salesman was secretly getting abused by his friend.

Luv and Bertie noticed this too. They wanted to say something, but they did not want Rupin hurting the guy any more then he already was. The Salesman picking a spot right next to Rupin set off some alarming concern for the others. Bertie badly wanted to say something, but he just remained quiet.

Customers came and left along with the stuff they bought. The Happy Mask Salesman kept smiling as usual. He didn't seem to notice the passing glances people gave him. He had his mind on something else that disturbed him greatly. He looked down at his masks and then looked at his big bag.

"Hey Salesman."

The Happy Mask Salesman turned his head to the sound of someone calling him. It was Gondo and he seemed to be waving him over. The Salesman got up and walked over to speak with Bertie for a moment. He asked the man to watch his stuff until he returned and walked over to the tanned man.

"Hello Gondo, how are you?" The Salesman asked.

"I am great, what about you?" Gondo replied with a smile, though he was worried that Rupin might hear them.

"I am fine," the Salesman said simply. He was eager to get back to his masks.

"That's good to hear." Gondo glanced over at the Gear Shop as he leaned in slowly. "How about I buy you a drink after the day is done?" He spoke in a hushed whisper.

The Salesman raised an eyebrow, his smile fading as he looked over to see Rupin fixing his arrows.

"Just you and me all right? I want to talk to you about something, and I would very much like it to be just you there with me." Gondo reached out, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder.

"Well…I was going to bring Rupin along, but sure, why not?" The Salesman said cheerfully, turning his head to look at Gondo.

"Great. Meet me at the Lumpy Pumpkin after work. You can bring your bag if you like, I won't mind." Gondo patted the Salesman on the head and messed up his hair, treating him like a kid.

The Salesman wrinkled his nose and reached up to fix his hair before walking back to Bertie and giving him a purple rupee as thanks for looking after his stuff. He walked back to his own shop and sat down to see if all his prized collections were still there. He smiled to see that they were.

"So…what did Gondo want?"

The Salesman looked up to see Peatrice standing there. He found himself surprised and a bit flustered. "Oh. Well, he just wanted to talk to me and asked if I'm okay," the salesman said, smiling and a little nervous for some reason.

"Are you?" Peatrice asked, tilting her head a little and smiling kindly at him.

_Please go away._ "Of course. I am as healthy as ever. Why?" The salesman kept his smile up, not wanting to look like an idiot if he started to stutter around her. He felt his heart race and his stomach tensing. He kept his breathing normal but her beauty made him want to get up and run away.

"Oh, just asking because you seem…" she paused for a moment, "tired, that's all." She giggled and walked back to the Item Check, waving to Rupin while she passed by him.

_Is she serious? I had plenty of sleep yesterday_, The Happy Mask Salesman thought, looking back down at his three new masks and wondering if the people marked him as odd. He shook his head and looked over at Rupin; the man seemed to be ignoring him still.

"So, what did your girlfriend say?" Rupin said sarcastically, teasing the poor man while he leaned his elbows against the counter.

_You nosy little rat!_ "Oh, shut up. I don't see you wooing any women." The Salesman grinned. "Which makes me wonder something very interesting…?" He opened his eyes very slightly to look at Rupin.

"What?"

"I don't see you wooing women. Does that mean…" the Salesman stood up slowly, walking over to the counter and leaning in close with a cheeky grin.

"Mean what?"

"You prefer men over women?" The Salesman said it loudly, making the man flustered with embarrassment. Luv and Bertie looked over with wide eyes.

"You're a sick little man!" Rupin raised his voice. "I do not prefer men! I fancy women and if I wanted one, I would have had a wife by now!" He wanted to punch the man so badly now, but he couldn't. Not in front of everyone who might take it the wrong way.

"Sure. Whatever, tiny man," The Salesman said with a laugh, shrugging his shoulders and walking back to his seat.

Rupin reached to his left and grabbed a deku seed to throw at the Salesman, but before he could do such a thing, he looked over to see Luv and Bertie looking at him. He grunted and put up his sign before walking to his storage room where he could have some time to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5 my little minions:3 I would like to see reviews soon and if anyone wishes to make a request, feel free to leave a comment or PM. Enjoy:3**

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Endless Night

The day was done. Everyone all seemed to take their time putting away their stuff. The Happy Mask Salesman was standing in front of his stand, already packed up before everyone else, so he just waited for Gondo to finish up. Rupin was already leaving the Bazaar along with Peatrice and odd little man in yellow robes. Luv and Bertie finished locking up, smiling to the Salesman on their way out.

"Ready for that drink at the Lumpy Pumpkin, I see?"

The Mask Salesman turned to see Gondo walking over with a smile; the tanned man seemed happy about something. The Salesman smiled back, picking up his bag and following Gondo. He didn't know what to say or talk about, so they just walked in silence. Gondo wondered if Rupin was beating up the poor man because of his successful sales. He thought of many ways to bring it up, and yet they seemed to sound bad. He glanced over to see the Salesman walking behind him with a smile.

Poor guy, he must be in so much pain that he hides behind that smile, Gondo thought as he looked ahead. First it was just a black eye and now the Salesman has bruises all over him. Why would Rupin do such a thing? Can The Salesman fight back? Does he even know how to fight at all? These questions bothered Gondo. The new guy must think they were all jerks for not saying anything. He looked back again to see the Salesman still following and humming to himself. He seemed to be looking out at the view while tightly holding onto the straps on his bag.

"Don't you worry, we're almost there," Gondo said, reaching out to pat the Salesman on the head and mess up his hair again.

The Salesman wrinkled his nose and pushed his hand away. He hated having his hair messed up and it seems the tanned giant before him liked messing up his hair. Gondo laughed while The Salesman fixed his hair with one free hand. Gondo seemed to enjoy making the little man mad, but he didn't want to anger him.

"I want to know why you wanted to invite me for a drink, Gondo?" The Salesman asked. "You should know, I do not allow tainted drinks such as booze to enter my body." He hated the looks on drunks when they walk by him with that awful stench coming from their mouths. He did enjoy watching drunks try to fight, but he hated it when they tried to follow him. They would try to be buddies with him just because he had rupees.

"Well, too bad. I am going to give you the best drink they have at the Lumpy Pumpkin!" Gondo said cheerfully. He put an arm around the Salesman's neck, pulling the poor guy into the bar.

"Wait! No, I don't want to go in there!" The Salesman panicked, struggling to leave when the tanned giant picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. Gondo laughed as he brought the Salesman into the Lumpy Pumpkin and ordered two pumpkin juices for them.

Gondo looked for a spot to sit, but tonight seemed to be full. The only seats he could find were two seats side by side. The Salesman was wiggling to get away, so Gondo just sighed and sat the man near the wall, taking a seat beside him so he wouldn't get away so easily.

"I did not ask you to carry me in here!"

"Oh hush, I said I wanted to take you out for a drink and you agreed to come." Gondo smiled at the man beside him. "Just relax. And trust me, you will like the pumpkin juice they have." He looked at the bag the salesman was holding so tightly. He chuckled and looked over to see if the waitress was coming.

"Fine…" The Salesman took off his bag and sat it in front of him. "But if I wake up without my masks or clothes, I am coming after you!" He looked at Gondo, trying to make a point that would get through, but he doubted the giant was even listening.

"Don't worry, I will make sure you keep your masks and clothes on you," Gondo laughed as he turned his head to see the man partially hiding behind his bag. He wanted to tease him, but that would be rude so he just sighed.

"I dislike being in places like this." The Salesman looked over at Gondo. "It's my first time drinking… pumpkin juice and I worry that I might do something stupid." He spoke with a worried voice.

The tanned man only smiled kindly. "Trust me, I will make sure you return home safe and sound along with your bag." Gondo reassured the Salesman and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How kind of you, but I must be honest." The Salesman looked forward to see the crowds of people having a good time. "I have no home here and I sleep anywhere that looks good enough for me to sleep." He sighed, watching the waitress bring their drinks. Gondo looked at him, worried. He turned his head and smiled at the woman before she left. The Salesman cleared his throat as he reached out with one hand and grabbed his mug.

"Well, if you need a place to sleep, I always have extra room at my place," Gondo said, reaching for his mug and taking a swig.

The Salesman glanced at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow, pushing Gondo's hand off his shoulder and looking at his own mug. He wondered if drinking this stuff would either kill him or mess up his head. The man slowly brought the mug up to his lips and tilted it a little to have a sip.

The Salesman did not know that Gondo was watching with a grin. Much to his surprise, it had no bitter taste. The liquid tasted like sweet pumpkin, so the Salesman took a larger sip. It started to taste good and soon the Mask Salesman was taking more gulps. His nerves seemed to relax by the fourth mug.

"I told you it was good," Gondo said, taking a drink from his third mug now.

"It's delicious!" The Salesman said with a happy smile, chuckling when he looked at his mug and saw it was empty now.

"Good to hear. I also brought you here so we could talk," Gondo turned his head to see the Salesman still looking at his empty mug with a little frown.

"Talk about what?" The Salesman looked over to see those fantastic goggles mocking him; he badly wanted them, but Gondo refused to sell or trade them. He reached out to touch the safety goggles gently and chuckled; the tanned man cleared his throat and moved The Salesman's hand to speak with him properly.

"I wanted to ask you about Rupin"

"Oh, I see. All right, Mr. Nosy, what do you want to know about Rupin?" The Salesman looked down at his mug, placing both hands on the edge of the table. His smile faded now that he had the bitter after taste of pumpkin juice in his mouth.

"Don't call me that, Mr. Nervous!" Gondo crossed his arms and slowly leaned in close. "I wanted to ask, is Rupin beating you up when no one is around?" he whispered, not wanting the words to reach prying ears.

The Salesman slowly lowered his head. "Well…" he paused for a moment. "I didn't want to say anything about this, but yes, he has," he whispered, gently thumbing the edge of the table.

"Are you saying that Rupin has been beating you up!?" Gondo's jaw dropped in shock.

The Salesman turned his head quick and glared at him. "Do not say a word to anyone about what I told you," he snarled. He grabbed a handfull of Gondo's shirt and pulled him close.

"Why?" Gondo asked, getting worried that the Salesman might be hiding something by the serious tone he was using.

"Because I don't…" The Salesman let go of the man's shirt and covered his face with both hands. "I don't want him finding out and beating me even more." He forced out some tears and sobbed, wanting to make it look like he feared Rupin that much.

"Don't worry Salesman, Gondo is here to help." He gave the other man a one-armed hug. "I never knew Rupin was capable of doing something like this. If you are in any need of help, just come tell me." Gondo smiled. He refused to see Rupin mad and he would have to draw a line when it came to another friend getting beaten.

Dear Rupin, once this works out, I hope you enjoy your little trip to prison and I will make sure you enjoy every last minute of it! The Mask Salesman thought darkly, smiling wickedly on the inside while pretending to weep. Oh how he would enjoy seeing Rupin's shocked face when the guards drag him off. His friends won't know who the real villain is until the Happy Mask Salesman disappears.

Gondo let go of the man and patted him on the head. "Come on, let's enjoy our time here and tomorrow. You can move your stall next to mine, sound good?"

The Salesman wiped away a tear and nodded. His acting paid off, but he doubted that he could handle another mug of pumpkin juice. The poor man was almost seeing double when he looked at Gondo. Oh dear, this is not good he thought. He looked at his mug to see it filled again and without thinking, he took another drink.

The rest of the night seemed slower than usual. The Mask Salesman had no memory of walking out of the Lumpy Pumpkin with Gondo carrying his bag. Heck, the two had no memory of what was going on around them. The men found themselves sitting in a pumpkin patch, laughing and occasionally sobbing over things they did in the past.

The Mask Salesman had no idea how he ended up at Rupin's doorstep afterwards, yelling and cursing at the door while Gondo cheered him on from the ground where he fell.

"Rupin! Get out here's you little stick figure!" The Salesman had a hard time trying to talk properly. He staggered a little to his right before pressing his forehead gently on the door.

"Kick'em!" Gondo shouted before passing out on the cold ground, his head lying against the Mask Salesman's bag.

The Salesman moved his head when he heard footsteps coming to the door, the drunken man stood there until he saw the other appear before him. The Salesman gave Rupin a funny grin before leaning forward to hug him. Rupin stood surprised to see the creep standing there with Gondo passed out on his walkway.

"Hey Rupin…" the Salesman began, "Remember the time we first met?" he spoke fondly, moving his head to look at the man with a kind smile. Rupin held onto him so he would not fall but he had no idea why the two drunks decided to pay him a visit.

And what did the Happy Mask Salesman mean by first met?


	6. Chapter 6

**Here Is Chapter 6 everyone and I hope you all enjoy it, I know I enjoy writing it. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a review. enjoy :3**

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**Missing Something, Salesman?**

The Morning, the Mask Salesman slept face down on the couch using his bag as a pillow with one arm and leg hanging off the edge. Gondo was left on the floor beside the couch with just a blanket to cover himself, Rupin was sitting at the kitchen and looking at the two passed out idiots with wide eyes.

_"If thing I hear was The Salesman's calling me "Stick finger" and the next thing I know, he passes out on my couch…?"_

Rupin placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand, he could not sleep well with these two making loud racket and stumbling over on almost nothing but their own feet. The poor guy never saw the Salesman laugh so much when they watched Gondo yell at a picture on the wall, Rupin wanted them to leave but they refused and ended up crashing on the couch and floor.

"HEY!" Rupin shouted, getting up from his chair "WINGNUTS!" he walked over to kick Gondo's leg hard enough to wake him and not hurt him, with the Mask Salesman on the other hand. Rupin just grabbed both his shoulders and shook him hard to wake him up, the tanned man woke up with groaning pain as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head.

"Ouch! My head, why does it…wait…? This isn't my house?"

"That's because you're in my house, not surprised to see who you went to the Lumpy Pumpkin with?" Rupin glared at Gondo for a moment before turning his head to look at the Salesman still sleeping, the small guy could through an earthquake if they ever had one.

"Leave him alone, he has it bad enough as it is." Gondo grumbled, looking over to see Rupin trying to wake the Salesman wake by shaking him again.

"What are you talking about? The guy slept in my shed without telling anyone, you think he would at least try to ask me if he needed a place to stay!" Rupin argued, moving his hands away from the sleeping drunk and turned to face the tanned man.

"You think he would ask you after all the…" Gondo paused, getting up from the floor and remembered what the Salesman said.

"After all the, what?" Rupin said, crossing his arms and raised an eyebrow at the guy.

"Nothing…" Gondo walked over to the Salesman and picked him up, "We'll just go and you can have your house back." with that said, the tanned man turned and left with the little guy.

"What the… why is Gondo acting so… unlike him?" Rupin questioned himself while watching the two leave his house, he shook his head and walked over to the door to close it when something catch the corner of his eye.

_Oh No…_

Gondo left The Happy Mask Salesman's bag behind, Rupin sighed annoyingly as he glared at it. Suddenly an idea popped into his head and a wicked smile crept upon his lips, he moved slowly away from the door and walked towards the bag with his hands rubbing together.

_You poor fool, time to turn the tables on your little game… I'm in charge! Now let us see what secrets you hold within your precious bag._

Rupin sat by the bag since his mother is gone shopping, that meant no one will be able to stop him now. He grabbed the bag and opened it to see what was inside other than masks and more masks, he pulled each one out of the bag to see what else he could find when he paused for a moment.

"What the…" Rupin said, reaching into the bottom of the bag and grabs something wrapped in colorful cloths, he raised an eyebrow to it as he pulled it out of the bag and held it with both hands in curiosity. The object had a funny feel to it when Rupin decided to unwrap it slowly, revealing a two strange yellow colored spikes on the top.

Rupin's curiosity grew while he unwrapped the how thing and find out why the Salesman never sold something like this, the dark colors gave Rupin the chills up his spine when he saw those big yellowish orange colored eyes and the spikes on the sides gave him the creeps.

"I never saw this before? Why would The Salesman have it if he doesn't plan on selling it?" he questioned himself, examining the strange mask and took a moment to place the odd mask on his lap show he could take in the weird designs.

_How odd that he has a strange mask with him and yet… very beautiful?_

…

Meanwhile, The Salesman ran all over the Bazaar looking for his bag. After waking up without his bag really made his day worse along with the hangover and the growing headache he is getting, he hated himself for drinking that night with Gondo and he knew he should have refused when he had the chance. The Salesman ran over to Peatrice which made the girl blush when she saw him, she never saw the man so worried and peeking over her counter to see what was there.

"Um… May I help you?" Peatrice asked, watching the man jump over her counter to dig around for something.

"I'm looking for my bag with all my masks in it, did I leave it here?" The mask Salesman replied, stopping to look over at Peatrice who just stood there blushing.

"Well, I saw you and Gondo walk into the Lumpy Pumpkin last night." She said, looking away from him with a shy smile.

_"By the… she saw that!?"_ The Mask Salesman thought when he felt his face heating up with embarrassment; he turned his head away for a moment to calm down as he turned to face her with a smile.

"Thank you Peatrice, I should go now" The Salesman walked over to the counter and jumped over it, walking away casually though he wanted to run out of there so face so he would not feel her eyes on him. The man needed his masks with him at all times, he felt naked without them and what made this moment worse was that he could hear Luv gossiping about last night.

"Did you saw what happened at the pumpkin patch?" Luv said, gossiping to another woman that was probably her customer or friend.

"I heard that two men were trying to destroy every last pumpkin" The woman replied, displeased about the incident.

"I was told that a Knight fought with one of them" Luv said with distort

"Oh my, well if that didn't seem disturbing. A friend told me that the shorter man did something horrible to the Knight's face!" The woman replied, shivering to the thought.

The Mask Salesman paused at the doorway when he overheard that last gossip; he turned his head slightly in fear of what might have happened. He quickly left the Bazaar to find his bag and the Knight, he could not allow this mess to grow or they will suspect him for doing something awful.

Deep down though, he was laughing at the Knight's miss fortune for messing with him and it felt somewhat wickedly nice. Even if his day seemed bad enough without his bag, he could take some satisfying pleasures in knowing he could make himself appear innocent to those who don't know him.

_It reminds me of how that thief looked, before I sent him "on his way" down that cliff._

The Mask Salesman could not help but grin to that thought, standing in front of that young man with a smile before pushing the thief off the edge and watched him fall. The Mask Salesman shook his head to remember why he was there, he needed to find his bag and fast before some idiot decided to put his or her finger prints on his nicely polished masks.

Just then, The Mask Salesman stopped on his tracks when he saw Rupin making his way to the Bazaar with _HIS _masks. The little fool had his fingers on his bag and dared himself to touch something that was not his to touch, The Salesman grinded his teeth together and all seemed lost when he charged at Rupin as fast as his feet could take him.

Rupin looked over and immediately jumped to the sight of the angry Salesman running at him, the shopkeeper turned fast and bolted the other way with the bag. He needed to find a getaway fast before the angry Salesman tackled him down; they ran in a big circle before Rupin quickly turned towards the Bazaar and headed there.

The Mask Salesman ran not far behind and showed no sign of giving up or getting tired, he was like a giant Remlit going after poor Rupin like a mouse. Luv and the others saw Rupin running by fast when he threw the bag at Peatrice by accident, he wanted to say sorry but the madman was right behind him.

Who they saw next coming from the door was The Happy Mask Salesman and he looked raging mad, he just ran pass everyone like they were nothing and all he wanted was to place his hands on Rupin's neck to choke the life out of him.

Gondo quickly hid under his counter when he saw The Salesman ran by fast, no one saw the place so lively until they saw two guys running right through the Bazaar like a couple of children. Rupin quickly ran out of the place when he spotted the young knight named Link walk by, without thinking twice about what to do next. Rupin quickly ran behind the knight and pushed him towards The Mad Salesman to slow him down; the Salesman ran right into the young knight and fell over the boy.

"RUPIN!" The Salesman yelled out, getting up to run about before stepping on the boy's chest and took off fast. He didn't to look back and check if the knight was alright, he just needed to get his hands on that shopkeeper.

"Slow… down… please"

Link murmured while lying on the ground in pain and dumbfounded by the surprise attack, he slowly sat up while rubbing his chest and looked back to see one shopkeeper chasing after the other. He could not believe that Rupin would push him in front of the other guy just to run off, the young knight wondered where he saw that other shopkeeper before.

"Weird…?" Link got onto his feet and walked into the Bazaar like nothing happened, the people inside seemed to notice everything that went on.

"My best guess?" Luv said "you saw Rupin and The Happy Mask Salesman run by you? Or should I say "On" you" she crosses her arms and pointed with her chin at the footprint on the young man's chest.

"Yea, Rupin just pushed me in front of that angry guy." Link chuckled, walking over to see Gondo.

"It appears the man hates it, people touch his stuff without asking." Gondo said as he appeared from under his desk to see the young knight smiling at him.

The young knight placed his slingshot on the counter for upgrading while digging in his pockets for the rupees he brought for it, Gondo smiled now that things seemed to calm down in the Bazaar.

"AAAHHHH!"

Everyone turned their gazes to the entrance door when they heard a loud terrifying scream, some of the shopkeepers moved to go check it out and see what was happening. Gondo stayed back to keep an eye on everyone's shops, he did not want to neither see nor find out what is going on.

Outside the Bazaar, Bertie and the others saw The Mask Salesman lying on the ground with Rupin standing over him with a sword raised over his head.

"THAT'S MY SWORD!"

Link yelled out, surprised and in shock to see the little guy had a fast hand for taking his sword without him noticing. Rupin and The Mask Salesman looked over to see almost everyone staring at them with wide eyes; The Mask Salesman looked back up at Rupin and chuckled quietly to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**One Mask, One Price**

"Bravo Rupin! Well done and perfect acting."

The Happy Mask Salesman clapped his hands happily to the man above him, he smiled and this made Rupin wonder if the salesman was truly scared of him or was he just acting out so staring eyes will leave. The Salesman's acting seemed to have fooled the people; Rupin lowered the sword to his side as he moved off the man up with one free hand.

"Um, thanks." Rupin finally replied. He felt confused about all this now when the young knight walked up to him and took his sword back, the young man smiled at him as he patted nervous Rupin on the shoulder and walked away. The Mask Salesman walked off to find his beloved bag and the people went back to what they were doing, the whole event of that creepy guy chasing him and then acting like nothing happened was so bizarre.

"_What is that man up to? Why does he act like nothing happened and seemed so fine with it?_" Rupin questioned himself to this, the Salesman was up to something and the shopkeeper needed to find out fast. The Mask Salesman walked back to Rupin and looked around for a moment before reaching out to grab the man's shirt, pulling him close as the Salesman leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"If you want to remain sane and keep your name clean, I expect you co-operate with me and choose wisely. The last person that I co-operated with _was never heard from again!_"

The last words were in a seductive hiss and The Mask Salesman moved his head away from Rupin, smiling happily and moving his hand away slowly as he looked around once more before walking to the Bazaar with his head held high in pride.

Rupin gulped out of nervousness as he watched the man disappear into the building, something in his gut was telling him to report this insult but the Mask Salesman had some kind of grudge. Rupin wasted no time on grudges since it was not like him, he just dropped the subject and walked back to Bazaar to open his shop after spending after the morning running.

_You think you have me on a leash? I think it's the other way around, I have one of your rare masks and I have a feeling that you will do anything to get it back._

* * *

Meanwhile, The Mask Salesman sat quietly in his shop with his hands nicely placed together and having a happy smile on his face. Rupin could not help but glance over to see why he felt so cold in such a warm place, he never felt this way before and it seems to be coming from the man next to his shop.

"Release me…"

A voice whispers quietly in Rupin's right ear, making him quickly turn his head to see who spoke to him but nobody was around except for the other shopkeepers with customers. Rupin took a look around his shop to see if there is anyone around that might be pranking him, he walked over to his storage room to find the prankster and yet he was met with nothing but boxes.

"I want my mask back and I know you have it, dear Rupin."

The shopkeeper turned around fast to see the Happy Mask Salesman standing there with that same smile, Rupin felt trapped and his only escape was blocked by the man standing before him. The Happy Mask Salesman slowly approached Rupin slowly and moved his hands to gently rub them together, knowing full well that this pathetic little shopkeeper is beneath him and unworthy of holding such a priced mask.

"So, why not you be a good little man and give it to me now!" The Mask Salesman stood close enough to make Rupin lean back against one of the boxes in fear, the smiling man held out in hand and waited calmly for his mask to be returned.

Rupin fell silent for a moment while his hands gently stroked the box edges, his soft breathing soon quicken to a panic when he licked his lips to moisten them. The Happy Mask Salesman's smile slowly faded to the silence he was given, his closed eyes soon opened to reveal the slight redness within them.

"Am I led to believe that _you_ do not have my mask?"

Rupin looked around to try and find something as a weapon before being grabbed on the shirt with both hands; The Happy Mask Salesman began to shake Rupin around and throw him to one side of the wall in rage.

The Mask Salesman pushed one large box in front of the only door so Rupin would be unable to escape him; he turned his head to glare at the man lying on the floor and spoke sinisterly as he approached the man.

"I am Surprised that you're not stupid enough to bring along my mask and yet…"

Rupin slowly moved onto his hands and knees before being pushed back down by The Happy Mask Salesman's foot, the shopkeeper struggled to get back up only to feel more pressure against his back.

"You should have known that stealing from me will only bring you…" The Happy Mask Salesman paused for a moment to move his leg upwards and stomped hard on Rupin's back, making the poor man cry out in pain.

"Pain, I have known another will try and steal my precise mask." He moves his foot to walk in front of Rupin and kneeled down to face him with a smile "I just could not believe you, of all people to steal my mask and now look what happened. You are being punished for it and I will take what is mine, rather you like it or not." He reached out and gently lifts Rupin's head to look at him; he chuckled to the sight of the shopkeeper and softly caressed his cheek.

"Why…" Rupin Muttered the only word he could muster before feeling his head being slammed to the floor, he let out another painful cry and forced himself to move away when he heard the Mask Salesman chuckle again.

"Why to what? Why am I punishing you for stealing? Why I am always smiling?" The Mask Salesman continued on with question after question, before moving closer to whisper a mocking tone "Why am I here? Well I am hurt that your greedy little mind could not grasp onto the memory of our childhood! You do not even remember pushing me off that cliff or why you did it!" He reached out and grabbed Rupin by the hair, forcing him onto his feet before hitting him in the gut hard.

The torture felt like it went on for hours and it just would not stop, Rupin tried a few times to fight back but strength coming from the Happy Mask Salesman seemed more unnatural. The smiling man would block or dodge Rupin's punches and chuckled each time the shopkeeper missed his face, his open eyes felt as though it was glowing yellow or red but that smile remained.

The walls felt like it was closing in on Rupin and he needed to escape from this man, is the Mask Salesman just beating him for fun or was he trying to prove a point in something that poor Rupin could not understand. The Happy Mask Salesman knocked Rupin to the floor once more and smiled wickedly to the sight, he let out a loud dark laughter when he heard the shopkeeper let out a cry of pain.

"Let this be a warning to you! NO ONE STEALS FROM ME!" The Happy Mask Salesman yelled. Rupin could not move and each time he did, the pain would only grow more to the point of making him sob. New bruises were added to his body when the Mask Salesman decided to kick him hard in the ribs or stomp on his hand, Rupin could not believe how wicked the Mask Salesman is and to inflict pain upon the poor shopkeeper seemed to bring great joy.

Rupin slowly rolled onto his back and glanced up at the Happy Mask Salesman with one unbruised eye, seeing that man smile could only mean one thing to the injured shopkeeper.

"Now that I have your attention" The Mask Salesman said with a chuckle "I think it's time for me to replace that mask… with a new mask." He slowly kneeled down by Rupin's injured body and reached out to gently caress his cheek before moving his over hand, both hands softly placed on both sides of Rupin's face and slowly started to lift upwards.

Rupin laid there in shock to see The Happy Mask Salesman holding a smiling mask, but it was no ordinary mask he was holding. It was the shopkeeper's face and it had his smile only it had two black holes around the eyes, Rupin was about to scream in horror but he could not scream.

The Shopkeeper reached up with one hand to touch his face and was met with nothing but a blank of what used to be his face, his hand started to shake in horror when he quickly looked around to try and find something to see what happened when the Happy Mask Salesman chuckled.

"This is the price you will pay for stealing my rare mask" The Mask Salesman reached out with one hand and gently turned Rupin's head towards him "Oh but do not worry my dear friend; I will take great care of your beautiful mask and make sure it is safe." He chuckled again and with that, the Happy Mask Salesman disappeared.

Leaving Rupin in the dark Storage room with his fears as the faceless man slowly got up from the floor, he looked over to the blocked doorway before he throw his hands up to hold his head and screamed in terror. The skin what was once his mouth began to rip open and his eyes shifted from normal to two black eyes, his cry was that of a monster screeching loudly and everything around him seemed to fall apart into nothing when he himself broke apart into nothing.

* * *

"WAKE UP!"

A familiar voice yelled when Rupin jolted up from his desk, a small piece of paper sticking to his right cheek. He panted and reached up to touch his face to find that it was still there, he sighed in relief and took the moment to look around and see that he was in his storage room.

"Are you okay? I saw you sleeping when I came in and you seemed to be having a nightmare by the way you twitched."

Rupin turned to his left to see The Happy Mask Salesman standing there with a concerned expression but still smiling, the man gently placed his hand on Rupin's shoulder to comfort him. The shopkeeper reached up to grab the piece of paper that was sticking to his face and chuckled; he looked at his desk and saw that he had his rupees lying about.

"I must have fallen asleep while counting my rupees, I did not get enough sleep last night and it seemed to have an effect on my work."

"Maybe you should try sleeping under a quiet tree sometime, I know it helps me when I'm feeling tired."

The Happy Mask Salesman chuckled and gently patted Rupin's shoulder before he went back to his shop, Rupin watched the Mask Salesman leave with curiosity going through his mind. The shopkeeper wondered why he had such an awful nightmare about the man, the mask salesman seemed to care about his health and yet he seems to hold something dark.

_It must be that mask I stole, my guilt is trying to tell me that if I don't give it back. The Salesman will do more than just inflict on me and I might not…_

Rupin took one more look at his rupees and sighed, he was not one for being generous or kind but he knew what will happen if he did not give the mask back before the Mask Salesman found out.

* * *

**Note From writer: ****Sorry for making you all wait, I have been having some trouble with my laptop and to make things worse. I got a could so I do apologize for not updating this, but I will continue the next chapter and hopefully have it up soon.**

**Please leave a comment about what you liked about this chapter and if you have any suggestions, please message me and I will reply.**

**Have a nice day and hope to see you all in the next chapter:3**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry to keep everyone waiting, I had to take a break from writing to deal with some family business. I am a bit depressed right now but writing helps me cope so I hope you all enjoy this chapter and just so you all know, I worked hard on this chapter to make it warming.**

**please enjoy and thank you for understanding what I have to say, I appreciate it.**

* * *

**Festival Day**

The next day, The Happy Mask Salesman made his way to the Bazaar for another day. The Mask Salesman made his way to his shop when Gondo walked over with a smile; the tanned man leaned against the counter and looked at each mask with interest.

"So, are you going to the festival tonight?" Gondo asked

"What festival?" Questioned the Mask Salesman

"You know, the celebration for the pumpkin harvest and the upcoming new year" Gondo answered

"Ah, I have heard of that and I am sad to say that…" The Mask Salesman paused for a moment "I do not have time for it, I am a busy man and all I want to do is sell my masks for the occasion."

Gondo shook his head in disappointment and stood up straight to leave when he got an idea and grinned, he looked at the Mask Salesman and grabbed his wrist. The Happy Mask Salesman looked at him and narrowed his eyes, he hated when people touched him without asking and before he could say anything.

Gondo paid Peatrice to look after the man's shop and left the Bazaar with his skittish friend, he had an idea that would change the man's mind about the festival.

The Mask Salesman wondered where he was being dragged off too and why Peatrice was giggling at him, Gondo said nothing about what he is doing and continued to pull him along with a smile.

Rupin walked along the path to his house when Gondo ran by with the Mask Salesman, he was almost knocked off his feet when the Mask Salesman reached out and grabbed Rupin's hand. Gondo stopped and looked back to see his other friend pulling the opposite side, The Salesman tried to break free from the tanned giant's grip by pulling onto Rupin.

"Let go of me!" Rupin said, struggling to free himself from the Salesman's hold.

"No! Gondo is trying to drag me off to my death!" The Mask Salesman protested, holding tightly onto Rupin and wanting run back to his shop.

"What are you talking about? I am trying to get you ready for the festival!" Gondo said, pulling onto the man's arm and taking one step at a time. He was now dragging both of his friends to his house, badly wanting to see the Salesman at the event too.

"Well good luck with that, Gondo!" Rupin said, breaking free from the man's tight hold and backed away to give the Salesman a smug smile.

"What do you mean?" Gondo replied, stopping to look back at his friend while the Salesman continued to try and break free.

"I bet the salesman is shy" Rupin chuckled "I hardly see him around public places, except for the Lumpy Pumpkin and The Bazaar." He crosses his arms and looked at Gondo, he felt pretty good about the idea of seeing the Salesman tuck tail and run.

The Mask Salesman stopped biting on Gondo's hand and glared at Rupin, he stood up straight and bared his teeth at him.

"I am not scared if that's what you mean! I just spend my time around my shop and getting food when I need it!" The Mask Salesman growled, ripping his arm away from Gondo's hold and stormed up to Rupin.

"Oh, so you admit that you are scared?" Rupin teased, staying in his place and keeping his smug smile on.

"Look here you greedy little man!" The Mask Salesman hissed "You are beneath me and a waste of time! I will bet you 50 rupees that I will be there." He gave Rupin a petty jab on the chest and grinned wickedly.

"You're on!" Rupin declared "but you have to be dressed up for the occasion, mask and all!"

They both glared at each other with smug grins before leaving separate ways, Rupin made his way home and the Happy Mask Salesman followed the tanned man to his house.

Gondo felt awkward about the whole bet, he knew the two shopkeepers are rivals but at that very moment. The tanned man had a deep feeling, that the two are slowly growing some kind of friendship towards each other.

The Mask Salesman refused to lose to Rupin but he could not help but smile to the bet, he enjoyed events when it has to do with rupees and bets. The two men arrived at the house in no time and Gondo led the Salesman to his craft room, he was excited to have someone over since Rupin only visited to ask him to fix shields.

When the Mask Salesman walked into the room, he froze to the sight before his eyes and slowly looked at Gondo to only see the tanned man smile back at him.

"You made all this…?" The Salesman asked, the room was filled with handmade costumes and matching masks which worked quite well with the details.

"Yea" Gondo replied, rubbing the back of his head and chuckled "No one knows about it because… Well, I am embarrassed and everyone think of me to just repair stuff. This is just a side hubby" he looks at his handy work and smiles to the nice work, feeling proud of showing it to the Mask Salesman since he knows the beauty of masks.

The Salesman walked into the room and took a look at each costume with interest, rubbing his chin and reaching up to gently stroke a mask. He loved the way it was made and the carefully made details on it, each mask was made to look like a Remilt or a Loftwing.

"I like how you made them, it's beautifully made and well crafted." He looks at Gondo and smiled for a moment before his eyes caught something hanging above the door, his eyes widen and his mouth dropped open in awe.

Gondo looked at him for a moment before turning to look up and see the colorful mask with its matching costume; he smiled and turned his head to grin at the salesman.

"Ah, so you want to use this costume with the mask?" Gondo asked

"I would love to use it, only if it's okay with you." The Mask Salesman replied, putting the Remilt mask back on the hanger and walked over to Gondo with a smile.

"Only if you keep my hubby a secret" The Tanned men smiled, reaching up to take the costume and mask down carefully. He hands it to the Mask Salesman and laughed happily to see the huge smile on his friend's face.

* * *

After a while, Rupin was busy working on his costume and grinned to the thought of winning the bet against his rival. The shopkeeper so badly wanted to rub it in his face when he wins; he wanted to see the Salesman weep over his loss.

"I am going to win this bet and take his rupees" Rupin said, talking to no one but himself while sewing his costume together. He was a bit rusty when it comes to sewing but it was better than asking his mother, he wanted to make this by himself and hopefully win the contest of best costume.

His mom walks by and his work table and saw her son working hard on his costume, she wanted to nag about his errors but inside she thought better of it.

It appeared that Rupin was working harder than ever and she wanted to see his handy work after, this is her first time seeing Rupin so excited about something he called pointless. She would usually see Rupin would on new ways to rip people off and be happy about it; she smiled and walked over to her closet to find a mask to match his costume.

The shopkeeper worked for hours which felt like an hour for him, he felt pretty good about this and soon he would be able to try it on.

"Rupin, Darling?" His Mother called, it sounded like she wanted him to clean the house again which he sighed in irritation.

"What do you want, mom!" Rupin called back, slamming his costume and tools on his desk as he got up to go see what she wanted now.

He walked over to the kitchen to see her and stopped at the doorway when he saw her smiling happily at him, she seemed happy about something so he just rolled his eyes and walked over to sit opposite from her.

"Rupin, I saw what you are making and I wanted you to wear this." She looked to her side and grab something on the chair next to her, Rupin leaned over a bit to see what it is and leaned back when she looked at him.

She pulled out a mask that made Rupin's eyes widen in surprise and shock, it was just the thing to match the colors of his costume and smiled at his mother for helping him.

* * *

That evening, everyone was getting ready for the Festival and putting up decorations along with the buffet table. Everyone who was attending for the costume content was making their own designs, they were preparing to win the prize and hopefully brag about it afterwards.

Peatrice was excited to go when Gondo told her that The Happy Mask Salesman was going, she wanted to see how his costume looks and blushed to the thought of how handsome he would be. She wanted to talk with him for some time now but she was shy, just the idea gave her the butterflies so she left her shop to go get ready.

The Happy Mask Salesman sat at his shop feeling nervous, he hated it when everyone who walked by would ask about what he is going ask. He wanted to keep it a secret and surprise everyone, hopefully shock Rupin at the same time when he saw the man at his shop with a smile.

"Is everyone ready for the festival, it will be starting in one hour! So close up and go get ready!" Luv shouted, standing by the entrance and smiling big to hopefully gossip afterwards with the ladies about whose costume looked better.

Everyone who was excited would cheer and prepared to put away their things, Rupin finished up quick and left to go get ready before anyone while Gondo closed up to go help the Mask Salesman.

"Want me to help you out?" Gondo asked

"Sure, I want to get a head start before the Festival begins" The Mask Salesman replied, smiling at Gondo while they both packed up the masks and closed up shop to make their way to Gondo's house.

The Festival started, everyone on Skyloft was there in their own costumes so no one knew who was who unless they bragged about it like Luv did. Everyone knew Luv would dress like a Remilt because her habit of clapping her hands, Peatrice was dressed like Goddess "Farore" and her mask hid who she is so it was hard for people to recognize her.

Many people arrived as something they liked and enjoyed very much, costumes were by the person or their neighbor which took some fun out of guessing who it is.

Peatrice was walking around the area to find The Happy Mask Salesman when someone tapped her shoulder, she turned around to see a handsome Zora standing before her.

The masked man held out his hand to ask her if she wanted to dance, she had a good feeling that it was the Mask Salesman so she nods her head and took his hand. The two walked over to the dance floor and held one another for the next song; the masked man said nothing and only held her close when they began to do the waltz.

Peatrice could not help but gaze into the man's eyes and blush, she didn't know The Mask Salesman was such a good dancer when he spun her once and pulled her in gently.

The song matched their way of dancing and some people walked with awe, but Peatrice didn't care for what they thought and just danced with her crush. She felt so care free and happy that she forgot her father was there too, he was dressed like a knight with his stomach sticking out while watching his daughter dance with a stranger.

When the song ended, they stopped to give each other a bow before leave each other's presents. Peatrice stopped for a moment to look back and see the man gone, she wanted to see him one more time before she left to get a drink but it did not happen.

She looked back to see another masked man standing before her with a drink, he was dressed like a Prince with a Keaton mask on. She thought this to be Rupin so she just declined the drink and walked off to get her own, she knew Rupin had a thing for her but her heart was set on The Mask Salesman.

Throughout all the events, she was searching for the masked man dressed like a Zora and hopefully has one more dance with him before the contest was over.

Everyone had their dancing partners and they were ready for the final dance so Peatrice had to hurry, when she passed through the crowd she saw the same man with the Keaton mask.

"Great…" Peatrice pouted, it wasn't the man she wanted so she just walked over to dance with him. The masked man looked at her for a moment before holding out his hand to dance with her, she accepted it but she was not as excited when she danced with the first man.

When the song started, they began to dance and all Peatrice could think about was that handsome man with the Zora mask. Her mind was so far off that she forgot about her partner who was constantly voiding his feet being stepped on by her, he wondered if she either had her head in the clouds or is just doing that because she hated dancing with him.

People who stood on the side line with no masks gave a disappointed look, they saw the "Farore" masked girl step or stomp on the poor man's foot before he pulled away from her. Peatrice shook her head to come back to reality and looked at the man, she saw him glare at her before walking away and leaving her on the dance floor.

"ALRIGHT EVERONE, THE TIME HAS COME!" Gondo announced, he was dressed as a Deku with matching robe to make him look like royalty.

Everyone stopped to look over at Gondo with excitement in the air, they all worked so hard on their costumes but they knew only one will be the winner. Peatrice looked around for a moment and saw the zora costume standing by the buffet table, he was standing right next to the Keaton masked man as they both listen in on what is going on.

Gondo called up five people with well-made costumes which were the Zora, Keaton, Farore, Remilt and Goron masks to stand next to him. Each stood side by side and Peatrice made sure to stand right next to the zora masked man, she dared herself to give the man a kiss in front of everyone and smile to him.

When Gondo asked asked them to take off their masks, Peatrice quickly took her mask off and right when the masked man took his off. She closed her eyes and gave him a passionate deep kiss which made everyone gasps; she felt the man pull back a bit before she slowly pulled away and opened her eyes.

Peatrice's eyes widen in shock to see who she kissed and quickly backed away, it was Rupin who was dressed like the Zora and right next to him was The Mask Salesman. He was holding his Keaton mask and looking at her surprised, she felt so shocked and embarrassed that she had to get out of there.

Rupin said nothing and watched her run off; the man slowly looked at the crowd and the people beside him to see only shock along with jealousy.

"Wow…" Gondo said, making everyone feel more awkward and The Mask Salesman scoffed in envy. The man throws his mask on the floor and stormed off in anger, Rupin didn't know what the man felt about that kiss but he knew his rival had a thing for her.

* * *

Thanks for reading and for those who are wondering what the Zora costume looks like, take a look at this picture from deviantart.

Aerandir by Webmegami

the song I was listening to while writing is this,

Waltz Music ~ Dreamers' Waltz (Lullaby Waltz)


	9. Chapter 9

**It Can Talk!?**

Five days after the Festival, Rupin could not help but think about what happened that day and the way Peatrice looked at him as though he was a monster. He knew she has or had feelings for the Mask Salesman, he knew the moment she blushed at the man and yet he did not feel bothered by it. The Happy Mask Salesman appeared smiling the next day and acted as though nothing happened, Rupin thought maybe the guy was just hiding his feelings and was acting normal about it.

"_You are taking this quite well, I'm impressed_" A male voice echoed, Snapping Rupin out of his deep thoughts and sit straight on his chair. The man realized he was sitting at the table far too long that his pumpkin oatmeal was now cold, he sighed in disappointment but he looked around slowly to find where that unfamiliar voice came from.

"_Yes, I can taste the hate coming off you_" The voice said, amused by the startling sight on Rupin's face as the voice chuckled softly. The Shopkeeper looked over to see that he was alone at home, he remembered his mother going out to the Bazaar to shop or maybe get the latest gossip from Luv.

Rupin shook his head as nothing to worry about and just got up to wash the dishes he made, he picked up his bowl and walked over to the sink to wash it when a faint music was heard. Rupin placed his bowl in the sink and stopped to hear the music getting louder, he turned over to look at the strange heart-shaped mask sitting on his bed.

_Did I put that there?_ Rupin thought as he slowly walked over to pick it up, the music getting louder each step he took when he got closer to see the eyes faintly glowing.

* * *

**Note: The song I am thinking of, Can be heard on YouTube called "Song of Unhealing"**

* * *

"_Why do you fear me?_" The Voice whispered "_I will not harm you for I, am just a simple Mask and I have no means to inflict such things upon you_"

"Who are you?" Rupin asked in a whisper, not remembering that he now had the mask in his hands and gently stroking the sides with one hand. He felt amazed by the magic the mask has, It was able to talk and catch him off guard when he least expected it.

"_The name that was given upon me is Majora's Mask, though I do not use it often_" The Mask said grimly, not amused by the name at all and thought it to be beneath it.

"How are you able to talk? And how is it that The Happy Mask Salesman never sold you?" Rupin questioned, having a sinking feeling that this mask might be the cause of his bad luck since his sales have gone down hill.

"_I can do many things_" The Mask answered proudly, though it soon faded to a grimace "_But the fool had me put away like all the other pathetic objects HE calls "Masks", I am no mere Mask to be played with by children!_" The Mask became angered by the memory of a hero who destroyed his dark powers long ago, he sighed and remained quiet for a bit.

"So why did he keep you? if you are as powerful as you say?" Rupin questioned again, not at all taken by what the Mask said about The Happy Mask Salesman being a fool.

"_That I will not say why the fool keeps me, I am but a mask to him_" The Mask replied, thinking for what he should do with this pitiful being and softly chuckled to the perfect idea.

"So I'm guessing that you want me to just keep you?" Rupin said, raising an eyebrow and giving the mask a questioning look since he thought about how to give it back without the Mask Salesman knowing.

"_Indeed, I want you to keep me and in return_" The Mask said, its eyes glowing brighter now "_I shall grant you one wish_" If the Mask had a mouth, it would be grinning as it saw the interest in Rupin's eyes grow.

"Just one wish, eh?" Rupin said softly, his mind slowly becoming clouded with the echoes of just "One wish" as his lips slowly curved up into a grin.

* * *

The Happy Mask Salesman sat at his shop, having his famous smile up though deep down he pushed away the image of that kiss Peatrice gave Rupin. He knew the little man had feelings for her so it was only natural, he never really intended on traveling with someone he thought of as just "Dead Weight" following him around.

He looked at all the concerned faces the other shopkeepers had when they looked at him, he simply smiled at them and looked back at his prized masks since that was all he loved the most. Masks are his life and what he was meant for, to collect them and sell them in return to see smiles on children's faces.

"Hello Jolly Mask Man" A familiar voice said cheerfully, The Mask Salesman lift his head to the odd nickname he was just given and saw that it was the young knight.

"Hello Link, how are you today?" The Mask Salesman said, placing his hands on the counter and smiled at the lad.

"I'm good, I just thought I drop by and see what masks you have today" Link replied with a smile, he never really had a thing for masks but ever since he heard about the incident at the festival. He took it upon himself to come and cheer up the man, he thought about taking the Mask Salesman out to the Lumpy Pumpkin and buy him a meal.

"If you are just buying my masks out of pity than" The Mask Salesman sighed in annoyance "I do not want you're rupees, I know you never come by my shop unless you were wanting to look at them." he chuckled and shook his head slowly while Link looked at him in shock, the young knight never thought the guy would catch on fast but he just smiled and nodded.

"Fine by me, I was just told to come by and buy something to help make you feel better" Link said, folding his arms across his chest and laughed.

"Oh? And who set you up to this "_Pity" _buying?" The Mask Salesman questioned, surprised that someone had the guts to ask the knight to do such a task but that "Who" did not have enough guts to do it him (Or her) self.

"Peatrice asked me" Link answered, not really paying attention to the Mask Salesman's reaction since he was busy looking at the new masks.

_So, that wench thought about me, now did she? _"Well that's no good, if she wanted a mask" The Mask Salesman began "She should come and get it herself instead of sending you, my shop is not that far from hers." He scratched his head in curiosity, not wanting to burst out laughing in front of everyone because of the way Peatrice did things.

"That's what I told her" Link said, surprised at the thought "If she wanted to apologize to you for kissing someone else, she should just come out and say it" He shook his head in disappointment and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yea well that is her business to deal with, I'm fine with the choice she made." The Mask Salesman stated, moving away from the counter and putting up a sign before walking over to the Lumpy Pumpkin for a drink.

"That's good, oh hey! Why not I just buy you something to drink" Link went chasing after the guy, feeling happy about having someone new to drink with instead.

Peatrice waved to the Mask Salesman but the man just walked by without giving her a passing glance, she sighed in disappointment and went back to doing what she always does.

_I will not give you the satisfaction of hurting me twice, woman. _The Happy Mask Salesman thought, feeling the bitterness in his heart grow with each step he took towards the Lumpy Pumpkin.

_So cast you're eyes somewhere else and away from me!_

* * *

"So how are you going to fix this?" Gondo said, Walking down the path to the Bazaar with Rupin walking right beside him and looking a bit worried about seeing the two giving him the stink eye.

"I have no idea Gondo, I'm worried about my shop now." The man sighed, dropping his head in shame "Ever since that Mask Salesman came here, my ratings have gone down faster and I don't have enough rupees to even buy lunch!" he groaned to the thought, he could clearly see the Salesman rubbing it in his face that all HIS rupees are going to him.

"Don't think me crazy but you two have got along lately" Gondo said, looking over to see Rupin giving him that "You are crazy" look.

"You must be joking with me, right?" Rupin replied bluntly, thinking something might of hit Gondo's head hard while he wasn't looking. The guy seemed smart but not smart enough to see that the Happy Mask Salesman is leaching all his rupees into his own pocket, the giant never saw the two fist fight and he was pretty sure the Salesman only kept it secret for a reason.

"Don't be so cruel, give the guy a chance and you might just find out something interesting about him" Gondo said cheerfully, he looked ahead of him and as soon as they walking into the Bazaar. They stood in shock to see the Happy Mask Salesman standing at the Gear shop with a line of customers waiting for their turn to buy something, this shocked Rupin more than it did with Gondo.

"Hey Rupee!" The Happy Mask Salesman said cheerfully, waving at Rupin with a smile and that is what caught the shopkeeper's eye.

_Oh great, the guy is drunk... _Rupin thought, giving the Mask Salesman a funny grin and annoyed stare in hopes of having the guy move away from his shop.

"Rupee?" some of the customers said, turning their heads towards Rupin when some of the girls giggled to the pet name that the Salesman gave him. Rupin's cheeks turned to a bright pink when he heard their giggles and quickly made his way to his shop, grabbing The Happy Mask Salesman by the ear and pulling him into the storage room.

The moment Rupin released the Salesman's ear, the drunk hugged him awkwardly by wrapping his arms around Rupin's waist and chuckled. Rupin raised an eyebrow at this display and immediately tried to push the drunk off him, knocking over a few pots in the process. which did not help since there are customers right outside, Rupin turned away to try and get out but the Happy Mask Salesman refused to let go of him.

"I love you man!" The Mask Salesman said loudly, holding on tightly and chuckled while Rupin struggled to break free.

"Shut up! They will hear you!" Rupin whispered, turning so he could cover the man's Mouth from saying anymore embarrassing words that might ruin his life's work.

The Happy Mask Salesman let go of Rupin's waist and tried to move his hand away from his mouth, the smell of Pumpkin Juice filled the air and making Rupin wrinkle his nose in disgust.

The customers stood outside the shop with questioning looks on their faces when they heard the two Shopkeepers doing something in the storage room, one of them was about to go check on the two men when they heard a shout "Ouch! Why did you bite me there!" The customers wondered what was going on.

Gondo chuckled to himself quietly, seeing how Rupin reacted to the nickname which only made things correct about what he said to his friend earlier. _Little buddy, though you don't see it. I know that you and The Happy Mask Salesman are forming a friendship... _Gondo thought as he walked to his own shop, taking some of Rupin's customers just to keep their minds out of what they might be thinking.

* * *

Hello everyone! I would like to thank you all for reading my story, I am overly joyed to see your reviews!:) I have a Poll up on my Profile so check it out if you like and as always, if you have any suggestions please feel free to pm or review them:3

See you all in the next chapter and have a great day


	10. Chapter 10

**Gifts and Something Else**

Gondo walked over to the Lumpy Pumpkin for a meal after doing some repairs on shields for the knights, he felt like today might be a good day for something hot. he saw Rupin walking out of the Bazaar with The Happy Mask Salesman stumbling behind him, Gondo could not help but chuckle to the sight when the Mask Salesman tripped over his own feet out the door.

"Um Gondo, can we talk?"

The tanned man turned his head to see it was Peatrice who spoke to him, he give her a kind smile and nodded as the two walked into the restaurant. Peatrice followed right behind him feeling a bit nervous about talking in a public place, she wanted it to be more private but she could not do that without having her father appear and nag her about what happened.

"So Peatrice, what seems to bother you?" Gondo asked cheerfully, walking her over to a table and taking a seat while they waited for the waitress to come.

"It's about..." Peatrice hesitated for a moment "The festival and what happened between me...and..." She lowered her head in shame, her cheeks turning bright pink show her embarrassment.

"Oh...?" Gondo said, sitting straight on his chair and looking around nervously though no one could see his eyes through his safety mask.

"Yea... I wanted to apologize to Rupin and The Happy Mask Salesman but I couldn't think of a way without hurting their feelings" Peatrice mumbled a bit, slowly lifting her head to look around at the people before looking at the tanned man.

"Well Peatrice" Gondo began "I know you have feeling for The Mask Salesman but are you sure that those feelings are real? you only met the man and my guess is that he loves his masks more than anyone else, he does seem to be happy but something else must be going on with him." he sighed and rubbed the back of his head, thinking about how mad the guy got when she kissed Rupin.

"Like what?" Peatrice asked, curious about he just said and wanting to figure out what else is going on between the two.

"I don't know, the guy appears to be happy and yet when he's mad..." Gondo trailed off a bit "He just seems like a whole different person and it somehow scares people"

"I know that but I want to know why? He hates it when people steal or touch his masks without asking, I just..." Peatrice sighed, leaning over to lay her head on the table.

"You like him, I get that part but what if he decides to leave without saying goodbye? Will you still like him then?" Gondo said, getting serious now since he doesn't want to see her heartbroken if the guy truly did decide to leave.

"No... I would be heartbroken and miserable for the rest of my life" Peatrice replied, lifting her head to lay her chin on the table while she glanced at the edge of the table.

"You won't be miserable if you got Rupin?" Gondo said cheerfully, reaching his hand over to lift her head to meet his smile.

"What about Rupin?" Peatrice sat up straight on her chair "All he cares about is how much rupees he's getting and obsessively counts them in his storage room!" she folds her arms across her chest, getting annoyed to the thought of Rupin popping into her head.

"He felt you those flowers, didn't he?" Gondo said, getting a little cheeky now when he caught her blushing about the flowers.

"Yes but that doesn't change the fact he obsesses over rupees" Peatrice argued "Each time I go to visit him, he just fumbles with whatever he was holding and ends up dropping it" she shook her head, getting more irritated as she shifts her weight to one side on the chair.

"I don't know if you can see it or not but Rupin really does like you" Gondo stated, having to know Rupin for a long time now and just imagining him with Peatrice brought a big smile on his face.

"What would you like to order?"

Peatrice looked up at the waitress and ordered herself a pumpkin coffee while Gondo ordered hot meal, the tanned man could see that Peatrice was now thinking about a certain guy and the blushing proved to be right on who she was thinking of.

* * *

After walking The Happy Mask Salesman back to Gondo's house, Rupin started his way back to his shop while thinking about how the Mask Salesman got that strange mask. He never cared much for such things and why he felt so bothered by it but that strange mask did bother him, he could not get a good nights sleep without hearing it whisper to him.

Rupin was so deep in thought that he didn't realize he ended up back at his house, he shook his head and looked around to see where he was standing. Rupin was standing right in front of his closet when the song began to play once more, his mind slowly became clouded to the tune and his eyes changed to a blunt stare.

"_I see you have returned, Rupin_" The Mask said, its eyes slowly began to glow in the dark.

"I wanted to see you, Majora's Mask" Rupin replied bluntly, slowly reaching up to open the closet doors and looked upon the glowing mask.

"_Good because I wanted you to do something for me, Rupin_" The Mask said, slowly rising up from the clothes it was resting on and moved closer to the man. It had not interest in making Rupin's _Wish _come true, its intentions lied else where and having a bit of fun would not hurt to say the least.

The Mask slowly floated into Rupin's hands and quietly whispered "_Put me on_" to Rupin in hopes of creating a new empire, not wanting to take any chances of wasting time on a child like it did last time. At this point, Rupin was fully under the Mask's dark powers when he mindlessly reached up to slip on the mask.

"Rupin!"

The shout snapped Rupin back to reality when he dropped the mask and quickly turned to see an angry figure standing at the doorway, Rupin blinked his eyes a few times before seeing it was The Happy Mask Salesman though unhappy would be more proper.

The Mask Salesman stormed over to the man and smacked him up side the head, the Salesman reached down to pick up his mask and checked for any cracks or dents that might be caused by the drop.

"What was that for!" Rupin yelled, knowing full well on why while rubbing his head and taking one step back to avoid any more unwelcome surprises. The Mask Salesman said nothing and just obsessed over the mask before slipping it under his vest and looking around suspiciously, he looked back at Rupin and gave him the rupees he made earlier.

"This mask is not for you to play with, that is why I keep it for a reason!" The Mask Salesman whispered, turning to leave Rupin's house and hopefully avoid anymore mistakes.

Rupin stood there dumbfounded with a small pouch of pouch of rupees in his hand, he never experienced anyone giving him rupees and sneaking off like that before. A few times he looked from the pouch to the open door before a smile grew on his face, he quickly slipped the pouch into his pocket and walked over to the door to close it so he could count how much was in it.

* * *

Thank you for reading and hope you all have a wonderful day, if it doesn't bother you much. I have a Poll up on my profile on what you want to see happen in the end, please feel free to check it out and vote.

See you all in the never chapter:) peace out


	11. Chapter 11

**Days of a Remlit**

"Remlits are a race of Cat-like creatures with "_Adorable",_ appearances and some are kept as pets on Skyloft. Remlits are capable of both swimming and flight, the latter of which is performed by flapping their large ears to remain airborne."

"Also the reason I use "_Adorable_" less often among their kind, is because they can be very vicious during the night and will attack you needlessly. Remlits are aggressive beasts of which one should avoid keeping, but I any would avoid them without seeing how Remlits react at day time."

* * *

_"What a beautiful day! _

The Remlit thought as she sniffed the flower once more before wondering off with a purr, swaying her tail happily when a butterfly passed by her little nose. The Remlit meowed before chasing after it, jumping to try and catch it with her paws.

_"Come back little bug, I only want to play!"_

The Remlit chased after the butterfly into the woods, letting out a playful meow while keeping her eyes on the bug and not wanting it to get away from her. She ran through some bushes when she stopped to realize where she was while the butterfly flew off in another direction, she looked around slowly in worry and slowly backing away into the bush for protection.

"Why, hello there little Remlit?"

The Remlit jumped up and bolted out of the bush from the startling voice, she turned to see what sneaked up behind her and saw a man knelled down in the bush with a unsettling smile on his face. The man seemed nice but something about him made the Remlit feel uncertain about rather or not she should trust him, the creature cowered and moved her tail to hide her face.

The man chuckled softly as he slowly moved towards the creature and reached out a hand to gently pet her furry head, the Remlit peeked out to look at the man and slowly moved her tail to show she's not afraid anymore which made the man smile more.

The man sat on the ground and allowed the Remlit to climb onto his lap for comfort as he continued to pet her more, they both started to enjoy their company when the sun slowly began to go down.

"You met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

The Remlit's eyes started to glow as she looked up at the man and bared her fangs, growling aggressively when she stopped at the sight of two glowing red eyes glaring back at her. The full moon began to raise as its light shined through the trees and making the man's teeth glow along with his red eyes, the Remlit jumped out of the man's lap and faced him with a hiss.

The man laughed wickedly and slowly stood up to glare down at the vile creature with a dark smile, the Remlit turned to run but before she could get away. The man reached out quick and grabbed her by the tail as he lift her up and threw her to a nearby tree.

"Let me fix that, shall we?"

The dark man chuckled as he approached the weak Remlit and reached down to pick her up by the scruff, he faced her towards him and with a wicked laugh the man placed his hand on the cat's face.

* * *

"MIA! MIA WHERE ARE YOU!"

The Happy Mask Salesman chuckled and closed the door with a smile, he placed the book by his side and looked around with a sigh. The man enjoyed sitting under a tree once and a while but he felt today was a good day, he needed new masks and it would be bad for his business if he ran out so soon.

The Mask Salesman looked to his left and not far from him was Gaepora, the Happy Mask Salesman tilted his head a bit and chuckled as he watched the headmaster of the Knight Academy look for his pet Remlit.

The Mask Salesman got up and dust himself off before grabbing his big bag to walk over to the man with a kind smile, he placed his hands together and gave a respectful bow.

"You met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

* * *

Note: I hope you all enjoyed this Chapter, I thought it up when i was watching "Skyward Sword Let's Play" on YouTube and thought "Hey! maybe there are fans of Gaepora who would like to see an appearance of him?" so TA! DA!

If you like to see anyone else make an appearance just let me know in the reviews and I will make sure to put them in, If you are a fan of Ghirahim than I will make an extra chapter with him in it:)

See you all in the next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Something Blooming**

Rupin stood at the counter waiting for customers, he did enjoy the rupees he got but something else seemed to bother him and it wasn't the good type of feeling. So deep in thought Rupin forgot that Peatrice was talking to him and just when she was done, Rupin placed his elbow on the counter and reached over to grab a small sack of Deku seeds.

"Will that be all?"

"Rupin? didn't you hear what i was just saying?" Peatrice asked, a little confused by the way the Shopkeeper was acting today as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Hm?" Rupin looked at her with bored eyes, he did not feel like smiling today and she only made it worse by bugging him.

"I was just asking if we can just say friends?" Peatrice said, raising an eyebrow at him and tilting her head just a bit in curiosity now.

"Oh? yea, sure" Rupin sighed and looked at the Deku seeds "whatever..." he placed the bag on the counter beside him and glanced over to see that the Mask Shop has been closed for a while now, Rupin did not care but something felt wrong and he wanted to know what happened.

Peatrice thought it felt weird to stand there when Rupin seemed disinterested in her so she walked back to her shop when The Happy Mask Salesman walked in, Bruised up and limping just a bit on his right leg.

This alerted Rupin when he saw the man walk in with that same smile but Rupin felt like if he acted like he did care, Gondo would think they are friends and start saying "He was right".

"Hello Rupin, I came to tell you that I will be leaving soon." The Happy Mask Salesman said, smiling as he walked over to his shop to collect his last remaining masks that were left on the counter.

The sudden news shocked everyone, they looked at the man and what condition he is in now. Rupin wanted to jump and cheer but he could not help but feel slightly concern about The Happy Mask Salesman, he never saw the man in such a state and all the sudden come up with this news of leaving.

"Wh-why are you leaving?" Rupin asked

"My time is up and besides, I am running out of masks to sell and I doubt you should be concern dear Rupin." The Happy Mask Salesman replied, placing his big bag on the ground gently and opens it to place his masks in.

"Why do you say that?"Rupin questioned, standing straight and crossing his arms.

"Why?" The Mask salesman looked at him curiously and raised an eyebrow "So you can have your business back, and not have to worry about me stealing your precious customers." he chuckled and went back to packing his masks carefully in the bag.

_So your option is to run away? _"Good! Does that mean you won't be bothering me at home too?" Rupin asked, trying to make himself feel excited and avoid looking at all the glaring eyes from Luv, Gondo and Peatrice.

"Of course. I must continue my travels for I" The Happy Mask Salesman stood up straight and placed his bruised right hand on the left side of his chest, "Am a Traveling Mask Salesman" he took a proud bow to Rupin and smiled in delight as he closed his bag and throw it onto his back.

"Well, have fun on your travels"

"I will" The Happy Mask Salesman replied, making his way past Rupin's counter when he stopped immediately "Oh, I almost forgot" He reached into his vest and pulled out an old Loftwing mask and placed it in front of Rupin, without another word The Happy Mask Salesman continued on his way and left out the door.

Rupin glanced down at the old mask and noticed some cracks on it, he reached to pick it up and look at it a bit more when a shocked gasp escaped his lips. His eyes widen to the reality in front of him, it was the very same mask that his childhood friend was wearing before he fell off the edge of Skyloft.

_I...I remember buying this? _Rupin gently ran his hand carefully across the mask with care, _I remember giving it to my closest friend... Seeing you smile so big that day was the most chariest Rupee I could ever have... _Rupin's hand stopped midway of the mask when he quickly looked up at the others in shock, his mouth a gap.

"I need to find him..."

Rupin placed the mask on the counter and put the sign up before leaving his Shop in a hurry, he needed to know if The Happy Mask Salesman was the boy from his childhood and so he started to run out of the Bazaar.

The Happy Mask Salesman was already making his way into the forest, he smiled to the thought of going back and spending his days in that town but he smiled even more to the idea of collecting his beloved masks.

_I guess this is it? I gave Rupin time to remember me and now that time is up, such a pity. _The Happy Mask Salesman thought while walking into the dark forest, never bothered to look back since it was his habit when traveling alone.

* * *

Rupin rushed to each place the Salesman would be in hopes of finding him and yet, he was left with nothing but failure. He was about to give up and lowered his head in shame when he noticed footprints. It led from the field which Rupin started to follow for some time before being greeted with the forest, he stopped for a moment of fear but he need know why the Happy Mask Salesman gave him so much heck and say nothing about their childhood.

The Shopkeeper pushed his way into the thorn bushes that blocked his way, ignoring the small cuts he received from the thorns and continued to walk on. The Bottom of his apron was torn the moment he made it to the other side, his sleeves were torn as well but that did not stop Rupin from getting to the person.

"MASK SALESMAN!"

Rupin called out, looking around for a moment before running forward and trying to keep track of the footprints he found when he noticed it was starting to fade more.

"MASK SALESMAN! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Rupin called out again as he continued walking through the forest, he started to notice the cold so he hugged himself for warmth and kept going. He blamed himself for not realizing who the Mask Salesman was and it bothered him even more for not bringing his coat, he looked around the forest for any trace of the Mask Salesman but there was none.

Evening came and it was getting harder to see, Rupin sighed in defeat and was ready to leave when something shiny caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow and slowly began to follow where the shiny object was, he made sure it wasn't a Remlit when he picked up a rock with one hand and threw it.

Rupin walked closer to the shiny object and found a half shattered Remlit mask, he gasped and quickly looked around in concern. _Maybe a monster got him? Or worse, he might of fallen from those injuries he has? _Rupin picked up the mask and quickly ran forward and called out for help, anything to get the Knights attention and help him find the injured man.

_Wait...? What are these wet things coming from my eyes?_

* * *

Thanks for reading and i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, Let me know what you think and I will see you all in the next Chapter:)


	13. Chapter 13

**Broken Music Box**

It was the fifth year now, Rupin stopped looking for The Happy Mask Salesman after that when he heared the bad news from the guards. He sat at his Gear Shop and functioned like nothing ever happened, he would smile at the customers and bid them good day while having to hear Luv's hands clapping along with their brat crying.

Peatrice would walk up to Rupin and chat with him at times, mostly because she found someone new to follow around and gossip with Luv afterwords. Rupin wondered if she was only doing that to get him jealous or creeped out? He knew he just said yes to being friends and all, he stopped giving her gifts which felt nice, he could now save his rupees and not spend it on useless items for someone who seems less interested in him.

The shopkeeper sighed calmly as he moved from his counter and walked to the storage room, he needed to count how much he made so far and what he could sell off at a better price without making it look expensive.

When Rupin made it to his storage room and sat down at his desk, he paused for a moment to look up at the old half broken Loftwing mask hanging on the wall above his desk and thought back at the time where almost everyone was looking for the Mask Salesman.

* * *

Five Years Ago

Rupin and the Knights made their way through the trees in search of The Happy Mask Salesman, Gondo and the others searched the village just in case the smiling man came back without Rupin knowing.

They one that the Mask Salesman spent time with were searching and it surprised most that Rupin was among the search party, they knew him and the Salesman never see eye to eye but it appeared maybe they were somewhat friends.

"Rupin, come quickly!"

One of the Knights called out from the rest, Rupin stopped to find the Knight that called to him and saw it was Link waving to him to come over. Rupin's concern expression turned to worry when he quickly pushed his way through the bushes and Knights, Link took a step to his left side with a sad look on his face as Rupin approached the lad.

"Wh-what is it?" Rupin asked, a little panicked by the look on Link's face and glanced around to see the others picking up masks they found spread out across the ground.

"Look down there..." Link said in a low tune, he looked away as he pointed down to his right and stayed silent afterwards. Rupin looked at him a bit puzzled and looked to where Link was pointing when he gasped in shock, his eyes widen in horror and his body tensed to what he just saw.

Upon the ground, the beautiful green grass was covered in crimson red and there laid the purple clothes of The Happy Mask Salesman. Torn and ripped up, covered in blood of his own with nothing left to describe of what has happened.

_No... _Rupin thought, he fell to his knees feeling a wave of emotions wash over him like a river. His arms slummed to his sides and his eyes still on the horrible sight, Rupin could not think sight and his mind just kept replaying the man's smiling face disappearing out those doors.

"I'm sorry, Rupin." Link said quietly, placing his hand on the shopkeeper's left shoulder which was immediately pushed off by the man.

"Don't touch me..." Rupin snarled, getting back up on his feet and dusts himself off while Link watched in a bit of confusion.

"He deserved it!" the shopkeeper said harshly, though the tears in his eyes said otherwise when Link saw Rupin glare at the scene with anger and sorrow.

"Y-you don't mean that, do you?"

"I do!" Rupin raised his voice at the Knight, "If he knew that we used to be childhood friends, he should of said so in the first place!" he glared at the young man in anger, trying to fight back the tears running down his cheeks.

"Maybe he was shy and couldn't find a way to bring it up?"

"He was never shy!" Rupin argued "He knew and yet he just... wanted to play games..." he sighed quietly and lowered his head, he turned away from Link and slipped his hands into his pockets as he quietly started to walk away.

"Go home Rupin, I'll tell the others about what happened." Link said calmly, watching Rupin nod his head once and went off to tell the other Knights on what he discovered.

As Rupin continued to make his way back home quietly, he made his way out of the forest and stopped when he saw his Zora Mask on the ground. He moved one hand out of his pocket and reached down to pick it up slowly, he slightly grinned and started to laugh at the memory when he was at the Festival with The Happy Mask Salesman.

Not a moment later, Gondo came running over in hopes of their success in finding the Mask Salesman. "Your back, did you find him?" He asked, he stopped when he saw Rupin's laughter turn to crying. The Shopkeeper fell to his knees and dropped the Mask to hide his face from wondering eyes, Gondo quickly went to his side and tried to comfort the poor guy.

* * *

Present Day

"If I made a wish on that Mask..." Rupin said quietly "I would wish for you to come back, honestly I found it fun when we would bicker on who had the most customers." he slightly grinned at the old mask but it soon faded to a frown, he knew wishes never come true even if he prayed to the Goddesses.

"I guess, this is it..."

Rupin sighed one more time before putting the rupees in his desk drawer and got up to head back to work, he glanced back at the mask one more time before heading out and putting on his best smile.

Rupin did his usual sales patch when customers came by but did the counting of how much rupees he got in private, he waited for more customers to come by when he noticed Peatrice walking over with her new attraction. He grimaced at the sight but did not dare to show it in public and smiled, he could care less about her ways of trying to make him jealous but this he found ridiculous.

"Hello Rupin" Peatrice said cheerfully

"Hello Link" Rupin said, ignoring the woman and placed one elbow on the counter with his chin leaning against his hand.

"Hey" Link replied with a smile "I just wanted to come by and check on how you are feeling, Rupin?"

"Link, I keep telling you that I am fine." Rupin said grimly "You don't have to keep coming here everyday to check up on me" he looked away to avoid eye contact and saw Gondo _secretly _pick his nose.

"You know that's not true" Link replied sternly "I always see you at the Lumpy Pumpkin after work, the Rupin I know would rather go home after work and not spend his rupees on Pumpkin juice!"

"Yea, well" Rupin argued, standing up straight and glared at Link "Maybe you shouldn't stalk me every day and night!"

"What...are you guys talking about?" Peatrice asked, a little confused about Rupin getting drunk every night and Link stalking him. Both guys glared at each other for a silent moment before Link turned his head to look at Peatrice.

"Ever since that incident Five years ago, Rupin has been spending his rupees on Pumpkin juice and working extra hours!" Link raised his voice, everyone in the Bazaar all looked towards The Gear Shop.

Rupin started to feel embarrassed but his breaking point was the word _Incident_, "Don't You Dare Bring That Up!" He raised his own voice and reached over quickly to grab Link by the collar of his uniform and pulled him in.

"Don't you dare use THAT against me! You should be happy that I actually cared about someone I had to fight with every single day!" he snarled, shoving Link back and glared at Peatrice who flinched at his glare.

"And you!" he pointed at her "Quit walking around me when he comes along! I already agreed to be your friend but it's pissing me off!" he waved his hand in the air to shoo them off, when Peatrice ran off crying Rupin could not help but yell out.

"THAT'S RIGHT, RUN HOME AND TELL DADDY!"

He shook his head and looked over to see Link storming off after her, Rupin sighed to calm himself down when he glanced over to see Luv and Bertie looking at him in shock. He wanted to glare at them too but his expression changed to sadness as he turned away slowly and walked to his storage room, once hidden away from scolding eyes.

Rupin leaned against the wall and started to slide onto the floor with one knee up, tears slowly sliding down his cheeks as he turned his head to look at the mask above his mask.

"I'm sorry my friend..." Rupin hid his face with his hands "I'm so sorry..." He sobbed quietly, alone in his storage room where no one could see or hear him.

* * *

Hello! I Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I thought it would be nice to show a little bit of Rupin's sensitive side:) It took me a long time to think this over and how to put passion into it without sounding like rambling (Like what I am doing right now) So leave a review and any suggestions on what you want to see next and I will make sure to write them in:3

Quick quiz:

Do you think The Happy Mask Salesman is dead? Do you think Peatrice secretly likes Rupin?

See you all in the next chapter:3


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